October 6, 200322 yr surprised this hasn't been mentioned LAS VEGAS (Oct. 5) - Roy Horn, the illusionist of the Siegfried & Roy duo who was mauled by one of his tigers during a show, was able to communicate with doctors but still in critical condition and on a ventilator Sunday. The mauling could mean the end of one of the Las Vegas Strip's most popular shows. Its employees were encouraged to look for new jobs, and officials said that even if Horn recovers it's unclear whether he would ever be able to perform again in the rigorous show. MGM Mirage officials said Sunday that it might take another day or two before doctors have a prognosis for Horn, who was bitten in the neck and dragged off stage. The performer underwent surgery late Friday and Saturday at University Medical Center. ''There has been no change in his status, which quite frankly is good news,'' Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said Sunday morning. ''Considering the trauma he has been through, no change in his status is a good place to be.'' Horn, 59, was heavily sedated but able to respond to voices and touch, MGM Mirage Resort chief executive Bobby Baldwin said. ''We are guarded, optimistic,'' Baldwin said late Saturday night outside the hospital. ''We are pleased the news isn't worse than it is.'' It was halfway during a Friday night performance at The Mirage hotel-casino that Horn appeared alone on stage with a 7-year-old, 600-pound white tiger named Montecore. Horn told the tiger to lie down. When it refused, Horn tapped the cat on the nose with a microphone to get its attention. The animal grabbed at Horn's arm, causing the entertainer to stumble. The tiger then lunged at Horn, who tried to beat the animal away with the microphone. Audience members said the tiger dragged Horn off the stage by the neck. The attack barely missed severing Horn's carotid artery. Horn and longtime partner Siegfried Fischbacher have been a Las Vegas Strip staple for years, performing their magic show to sold-out crowds. The shows, with their signature white tigers and lions, are among the best known and most expensive on the Strip. ''For more than four decades, I have had the great privilege of standing at the side of this remarkable man, and I will continue to do so during this very challenging time,'' Fischbacher said in a statement Saturday. Feldman said late Saturday the show was closed indefinitely. He said 267 show employees met at the Mirage hotel-casino, where hotel managers encouraged them to find new jobs. Montecore was quarantined at the hotel, officials said. Feldman said the animal had been used in the show for several years. Siegfried and Roy signed a lifetime contract with The Mirage in 2001. The German-born pair perform six shows a week, 44 weeks per year and have been onstage in Las Vegas for more than 35 years. 10-05-03 19:11 EDT
October 6, 200322 yr Horn told the tiger to lie down. When it refused, Horn tapped the cat on the nose with a microphone to get its attention. The animal grabbed at Horn's arm, causing the entertainer to stumble. The tiger then lunged at Horn, who tried to beat the animal away with the microphone. Dumbass
October 6, 200322 yr Author Horn told the tiger to lie down. When it refused, Horn tapped the cat on the nose with a microphone to get its attention. The animal grabbed at Horn's arm, causing the entertainer to stumble. The tiger then lunged at Horn, who tried to beat the animal away with the microphone. Dumbass If I ever do anything involving a wild animal I will have a gun at my side. If Roy has a shotgun with him he shoots the tiger in the abdomen, it is taken aback in pain, it is then shot again in the head. and nobody would be in the hospital right now.
October 6, 200322 yr Animals showing us they are better off in the wild. God! why do humans always have to f*** around with nature,
October 6, 200322 yr Jim and I saw them last year in Vegas for the 3rd time. Those cats are not "wild" and would never survive in the "wild". This one had been performing for 7 years without incident. And considering they have been performing for 3 decades with the cats, I'd say their safety rating is pretty high up there. It's an unfortunate accident, that's all.
October 6, 200322 yr Haha, I think it is time for them to hang it up. They are getting old. It was bound to happen eventually.
October 6, 200322 yr Did anyone see the side note that said all 267 people who work with the show are probably going to get fired, because the show might not even happen again. And just like that, without pay.
October 6, 200322 yr Did anyone see the side note that said all 267 people who work with the show are probably going to get fired, because the show might not even happen again. And just like that, without pay. They're union. They'll get whatever severence is written in their contracts.
October 6, 200322 yr Did anyone see the side note that said all 267 people who work with the show are probably going to get fired, because the show might not even happen again. And just like that, without pay. Laid-off. Not fired.
October 6, 200322 yr Author If I was one of their employees I would kill the tiger and sell it's fur on the blackmarket. Maybe that would make up for some of the money that tiger had cost me. I read in the New York Times that after taxes, Siegfried and Roy brought in about 44 million per year.
October 6, 200322 yr If I was one of their employees I would kill the tiger and sell it's fur on the blackmarket. Maybe that would make up for some of the money that tiger had cost me. I read in the New York Times that after taxes, Siegfried and Roy brought in about 44 million per year. And the people that work with them are very well paid. Their PA's alone make near $50K.
October 6, 200322 yr Well Siegfried is like 64 and Roy is 59 I believe...retirement might have been a real possibility even if this accident didn't happen in a few years? /just a guess
October 6, 200322 yr Author Well Siegfried is like 64 and Roy is 59 I believe...retirement might have been a real possibility even if this accident didn't happen in a few years? /just a guess would make sense, but I am sure they did not intend on ending their run this way.
October 7, 200322 yr Animals showing us they are better off in the wild. God! why do humans always have to f*** around with nature, they also failed to mention in this article that the guys raise most of their animals in their shows from birth.....they have generations of the tigers and lions and such at their house (ranch or whatever you want to call it where they live)......all most of those cats have known is roy and sieg since they were born......they would never survive in the wild.......
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