Target: Steve Wolfson, District Attorney, Clark County, Nevada
Goal: Pursue supported cruelty charges involving a flamingo allegedly seized from its habitat and injured, and seek proportionate punishment if guilt is established.
Broken feather shafts, missing feathers, and blood loss: those are injuries a veterinarian described during the trial involving Peachy, a flamingo allegedly taken from the Flamingo resort’s habitat.
Mitchell Fairbarn faces two animal cruelty counts and has pleaded not guilty. Trial reporting describes allegations that he crossed a barrier, caught Peachy, and carried the bird to a hotel room. The defense has presented his account of heavy drinking and a claimed attempt to help the bird. Those explanations must be assessed against the recordings and veterinary testimony.
Peachy’s recovery is welcome, but recovery alone cannot settle whether an offense occurred. The legal questions belong in court, supported by accurate evidence rather than ridicule or exaggeration. Demand prosecution of the supported allegations and a proportionate sentence if the prosecution proves its case.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear District Attorney Wolfson,
Please keep Peachy’s welfare and the evidence of alleged mistreatment at the center of the prosecution of Mitchell Fairbarn. Testimony describing seven to eight missing feathers, damaged shafts, and blood loss warrants careful consideration. The alleged removal from a protected habitat and handling afterward should be assessed through the full record.
Present the original recordings, reliable witness accounts, and veterinary findings accurately, including corrections to any earlier descriptions of treatment. We ask that prosecutors distinguish documented injury from speculation and address the defense’s explanations through evidence and applicable law. Fair proceedings are essential to a credible outcome.
If guilt is established, seek punishment reflecting the proven conduct, harm, and relevant sentencing factors. Request any legally available restrictions justified by the findings, and avoid treating public embarrassment as a substitute for accountability. Please pursue this case with precision and resolve. Animals housed in public attractions remain living beings with welfare needs; any proven cruelty against them deserves a meaningful legal consequence, even when the animal survives and eventually recovers.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Bernard Spragg. NZ
