A 27-year-old flamingo at the Flamingo Las Vegas wildlife habitat is on the mend after police say a tourist trespassed into the exhibit and assaulted the bird.
The flamingo, named Peachy, is one of six birds that live in the hotel’s outdoor wildlife habitat. The others are named Blackjack, Bugsy, Pitbull, Omega, and Bubbalicious.
According to police, the incident happened on Wednesday morning when a Canadian tourist allegedly entered the restricted habitat area, chased several flamingos, and grabbed Peachy before taking the bird back to his hotel room.
Investigators identified the suspect as Mitchell Fairbarn. Authorities said surveillance video shows Fairbarn choking the flamingo and throwing it to the ground multiple times.
Police said Fairbarn appeared intoxicated and later told officers he grabbed the bird and tried to “pop his wing back into place.”
Veterinarians treated for injuries and had “blood feathers.” Police said investigators also recovered a bloody feather from Fairbarn’s hotel room.
There was also concern about capture myopathy, a potentially fatal condition caused by extreme stress in wild or captive animals. Fortunately, Peachy did not show signs of the condition.
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