A 33-year-old Canadian tourist from Brampton, Ontario, has pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty charges after allegedly stealing and abusing a flamingo from the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel habitat on March 3, 2026. The man appeared in a Nevada district courtroom on Tuesday to enter his plea, according to local affiliates FOX5 and CBS8.
Court Proceedings and Plea
The accused, who was already ordered to surrender his passport and remain in Nevada until court proceedings conclude, made his second court appearance since the incident. His first appearance in early June saw defense attorney Josh Tomsheck successfully petition Judge Tara Clark Newberry for a two-week delay to discuss a potential resolution with state prosecutors. A further two-week delay was sought in late June, according to court records obtained by the National Post. During this week's hearing, Tomsheck did not elaborate on the reasons for the not guilty plea, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Details of the Incident
Arrest reports describe footage showing a shirtless man hopping the habitat fence, injuring two birds in the process, before grabbing a flamingo by its long legs, pulling it to the ground, pinning it, and fleeing with the 27-year-old bird named Peachy. Additional elevator surveillance footage shows the man, accompanied by another individual, returning to his hotel room with the bird. A resort security supervisor told 911, “He stole one of the flamingo birds. It’s kind of serious stuff.” Security personnel detained the man and informed police that he spent about eight minutes inside the habitat with Peachy and five other Chilean subspecies flamingos named Blackjack, Bugsy, Pitbull, Omega, and Bubbalicious.
Alleged Motive and Evidence
After his arrest, the man allegedly told police he was drunk and did not recall chasing the animals but claimed his goal was to assist a bird with a damaged wing. “He stated he knows that ‘popping’ the wing back into its place is a common practice for birds, such as ducks,” police reported, as per CBS8. “He has knowledge of this because he is a farm boy.” Photos and video recovered from the man’s phone show him torturing the animal and stating he would take it back to Canada. In one video, the Review-Journal reported, he chokes the bird’s neck as it cries out. Police also found a “large bloody feather” in the accused’s hotel room.
Financial Background and Next Steps
Upon his arrest in March, the Review-Journal noted that court papers indicated the man earns more than CAD$100,000 monthly. He remains in the U.S. pending a jury trial scheduled for October. The case continues to draw attention due to the severity of the alleged animal cruelty and the unusual circumstances of the theft from a Las Vegas landmark.
