Canadian tourist tells Las Vegas jury he drank up to 40 beers before taking a flamingo to his hotel room

Mitchell Fairbarn, 34, from Ontario, insisted that taking Peachy from the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in March was a 'silly pranky joke' with no malicious intent. He faces two counts of animal cruelty. A vet said Peachy lost seven to eight feathers, suffered blood loss and needed weeks of pain medication. Under cross-examination he conceded the footage 'doesn't look good'.

Snapchat clips showed him grabbing Peachy by the neck, which the vet called potentially fatal.

The father of three told the court he had a history of rescuing animals, citing a llama and six ducks he had once taken in.

He said he switched off his phone for the first time in nine years to 'let loose'.