Heidi Fleiss – the former Hollywood “madam” turned macaw rescuer – has kicked up a very loud fuss in southeast Las Vegas, after dozens of her vividly colored parrots started flying freely around her new neighborhood. Residents say the birds shriek at daybreak and occasionally swoop into private yards and perch in trees, complaints that prompted Clark County inspectors to open a code-enforcement review. Fleiss argues that locking the macaws in cages is cruel and says she is ready to push back on any rules that curb how much freedom the birds get outdoors.
According to 8 News Now, a Clark County spokeswoman said Fleiss may have no more than 20 macaws at the Las Vegas property and has been instructed not to release them outside, because the home sits inside an aircraft bird-strike hazard area near Harry Reid International Airport. 8 News Now reports that neighbor Shauna Cordova filed a complaint on March 8, and that county animal-protection staff have also enforced local noise rules at the address.
Fleiss’s history with macaws
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has detailed Fleiss’s years rescuing macaws at her longtime Pahrump sanctuary, along with the recurring troubles that followed, including thefts and pellet-gun attacks targeting the birds. That track record helps explain why Fleiss insists on keeping the macaws in a setting where they can fly and socialize rather than sit in cages. The history has turned her into a polarizing local character – embraced by many bird advocates and viewed with suspicion by some neighbors.
Why aviation safety matters
Federal aviation guidance treats wildlife near flight paths as a very real safety concern, and airports along with nearby jurisdictions work to cut down the risk of birds colliding with aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration’s wildlife resources outline how land uses and animal activity that attract more birds near runways are handled cautiously by airport operators and local officials. (FAA.)
Legal fight looms…