Roy Horn's Double Mauling

Associated Press: Producer Won't Release Tiger Attack Video

The company that produced the Siegfried & Roy magic show said Wednesday that it won't give federal investigators a video of the tiger attack on illusionist Roy Horn because it's protecting the performer's privacy.

Feld Entertainment Inc. said it's offered on several occasions to show footage of the October attack to the U.S. Department of Agriculture but the agency has not accepted the invitation.

"Feld Entertainment is cooperating with the USDA and will continue to provide the agency with the necessary information to complete its pending investigation, while also protecting Roy Horn and his family's privacy," the Vienna, Va.-based company said in a written statement.

Agriculture Department spokesman Jim Rogers declined to comment Wednesday, after confirming Tuesday that the agency is investigating possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

My emphasis, which I'd like readers to consider very carefully.

Horn was mauled by a 300-pound tiger [this is probably a typo as I've seen the weight described closer to 600 pounds] during a performance at a Las Vegas Strip hotel. The tiger bit Horn in the neck and dragged him off stage. One of the show's employees was able to break the animal's grip by hitting it with a fire extinguisher.

Horn, 59, survived the attack but suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, and his long-running show with Siegfried Fischbacher closed.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Who was the victim here? Roy or Montecore, the tiger?

This AP report mentions:

Amy Sherman, who was sitting in the front row with her mother about 10 yards away from the stage, said the attack happened right after Horn introduced the tiger.

"Right after that, the tiger kind of turned its head and bit him on the arm," Sherman said. "Roy started taking a microphone and started whapping the tiger on the head."

The tiger, who was on a short leash, then dragged Horn to the ground and they struggled before the tiger dragged him behind a curtain by his neck, she said. Trainers on stage rushed to aid Horn, trying to subdue the tiger.

"We just heard all this commotion behind the curtain and you could hear Roy scream," Sherman said. "Everyone at our table was kind of looking at each other, like 'Oh my God,'" she said.

CNN reported:

Crew members backstage sprayed a fire extinguisher at the big cat to force him to release his grip, a tactic they are trained to use in such an event, Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said.

Three E! Online articles to consider:

Siegfried & Roy Tiger Sprung
Oct 14, 2003
The question still on everyone's mind is: What caused the usually mellow Montecore to lose his cool?

Siegfried & Roy buddy Steve Wynn told People that Siegfried believes that Montecore was bothered by a woman seated in the front row with a freakishly large hairdo.

Roy tried to get Montecore to focus, and the tiger growled at him. Roy told the tiger "no," and bopped him on the nose with his microphone. Montecore responded by grabbing Roy's sleeve in his mouth. According to audience members, Roy then stumbled and fell back, at which point Montecore went for the kill.

Or maybe not. Siegfried believes the cat was trying to help Roy, protecting him from danger after he fell.

"If the animal would attack Roy, Roy would be no more after that. 10 seconds," Siegfried said on CNN, in defense of the tiger. Animal experts have disputed that claim, and animal-rights group PETA has called on the duo to retire their big cats.

Copyright © 2004 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All rights reserved

Siegfried & Roy's Roy Still Critical
Oct 6, 2003
On stage alone, Horn introduced the sold-out audience of 1,500 to Montecore the tiger. As is his shtick, Horn announced that Montecore was making his stage debut. In reality, the big cat was a veteran of the show and was, in the words of a source in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "a favorite of most of the handlers."

But on Friday, Horn and Montecore experienced a nearly fatal failure to communicate.

"Roy tugged the tiger to get him into the middle of the stage, but the tiger didn't like that so much and came up and bumped him with his head," audience member Jonathan Cohen told the New York Post.

Horn responded by tapping Montecore with his microphone. Montecore responded by biting Horn in the arm. Horn tried to fight off the animal with his mic.

"Then the tiger just went for him," Cohen said in the Post. "He bit him in the neck and literally picked him up and dragged him [off the stage] as if he were a wild animal attacking his prey."

Away from confused audience members' sight lines, crewmembers sprayed the tiger with fire extinguishers.

Copyright © 2004 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All rights reserved

Siegfried & Roy Video Mystery
Aug 25, 2004
All along, Roy's reps have maintained that the attack was simply an accident, but the USDA has kept open an investigation into possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Abuse of the act could result in a fine and suspended or revoked licenses. "But an investigation doesn't mean something bad's going to happen," said USDA spokesperson Jim Rogers. "We just need to determine if any of our regulations were violated."

Copyright © 2004 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All rights reserved

Since the USDA isn't explaining what part of the AWA it thinks might have been violated, I don't know what they are investigating. You can dig around here to read the full text, the amendments over the years, and the Federal Register regulations published.

The show is over for good, a human is in a difficult phase of physical therapy, and the world has been reminded that even the most highly trained animals are still animals and cannot be fully trusted to do what we want them to do. The USDA should back off.

Posted by Drizzten at August 26, 2004 10:22 AM