A Las Vegas woman is facing animal cruelty and abuse charges after police say she removed a baby duck from a Strip resort fountain and injured the animal during a disturbing incident caught on surveillance video. Authorities arrested her on Tuesday after hotel security reported seeing her handling the juvenile duck near the Venetian Resort. Investigators later determined the animal suffered injuries and was showing signs of distress when officers recovered it.
Baby Duck Abuse Case in Vegas Leads to Woman’s Arrest
According to an arrest report, officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded after a security officer at the Venetian Resort reported a woman had grabbed a duck from the property’s fountain area.
Hotel security personnel tracked the suspect through surveillance cameras and alerted police after observing behavior they believed was harming the animal. When officers arrived, they located the woman identified as Destiny Reyes and attempted to question her. Police said she was uncooperative during the encounter and was subsequently detained.
Authorities recovered the duck, later identified as a juvenile and nicknamed “Daffy” in police documents. Officers immediately noticed that the animal appeared injured. According to the report, the duck showed signs of pain and had an apparent injury to its right wing.
Reyes was booked on suspicion of willful or malicious torture, maiming, or mutilation of an animal. Court records indicate she was being held on $6,000 bail. A court hearing was scheduled for June 15.
LVMPD Says Surveillance Video Revealed Alleged Abuse
The investigation expanded after a detective from the LVMPD Animal Cruelty Section reviewed surveillance footage from the resort. According to the report, the footage allegedly showed Reyes carrying the duck away from the fountain area before repeatedly handling it in a manner investigators considered abusive. Detectives stated the video appeared to show the duck being tossed between hands, shaken, dropped, and handled forcefully.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife assisted investigators in identifying the bird as a juvenile duck, naming it “Daffy” in the report. Authorities noted that removing the animal from its natural environment caused additional stress.
Police documents described the duck as visibly frightened when officers recovered it. Investigators stated that the animal was shaking and appeared unable to move one wing without pain.
The report further alleged that Reyes displayed little concern for the duck’s condition. “Destiny showed no remorse and no regard for Daffy. She took this [animal] out of her natural place of stay and put her through stress and pain for no reason at all,” the report read. Detectives concluded that the animal endured unnecessary stress and injury during the incident.
Animal Cruelty Crimes are Heavily Frowned Upon in Vegas
The abuse incident with the baby duck at the Venetian Resort comes weeks after officers responded to a similar issue during a horse racing event at South Point Hotel. Las Vegas police arrested a teenage girl after three horses were found injured during the 2026 National Barrel Horse Association Professional’s Choice Las Vegas Super Show.
According to investigators, officers responded after discovering that several horses had suffered injuries consistent with wounds caused by a sharp object. Detectives later identified a teenage competitor as a suspect and took her into custody at a nearby hotel.
Police said the horses sustained non-life-threatening injuries but were unable to compete in the event. The teenager was booked on multiple felony charges, including counts related to animal cruelty and destruction of private property.
