Christiern Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 Roy of 'Siegfried & Roy' critical after mauling CNN --A nine-year-old white tiger attacked Roy Horn of 'Siegfried & Roy' during a Friday night performance on the Las Vegas strip -- the tiger's first time on stage, and the trainer's 59th birthday. Horn was listed as critical Saturday, according to the University Medical Center for emergency surgery's recorded message service, updated at 2:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. ET). The tiger lunged at Horn's neck about half-way through the show, and dragged him off stage, audience members said. "He looked like a rag doll in his mouth," said Kirk Baser, from Pennsylvania. Emergency officials arrived at the MGM Mirage Hotel-Casino around 8:20 p.m. (11:20 p.m. ET), and treated Horn for massive blood loss before he was rushed to University Medical Center for emergency surgery. Horn was talking at the time emergency workers arrived, but had trouble breathing, Clark County Fire spokesman Bob Leinbach said. Horn, the darker-haired member of 'Siegfried & Roy', was born in Nordenham, Germany on October 3, 1944. Combining magic with tiger stunts, the flamboyant duo has performed on the Las Vegas strip for nearly 30 years. The tiger that attacked Horn is currently in quarantine and no one else was injured in the attack, according to MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman. Audience members were shocked to realize the attack was not part of an illusion or magic trick. 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, saying it was the animal's first performance. "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. After about a minute, which Sherman's mother said seemed like forever, Siegfried appeared on stage. "You could tell he was really shook up, and he just said, 'I'm sorry but the show is over, and you know, the show has been canceled'" Joyce Edenholl said. "Everyone there I think , thought it was part of the act, because no one really freaked out," Kirk Baser said. "When it grabbed him and dragged him off the stage, I thought maybe it was like some magic trick where they switch a rag doll or something." A group of Australians said they witnessed the attack from the front row of the crowded theater, and also thought it was just part of the show. "A lady ran past me, freaking out and it was then I sort of, in the back of my mind, thought now this isn't part of the show," said David Strudwick. "And then you look at the staff and they had a bit of horror in their eyes and ... it was like, wait a second, it may not be a part of the show." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 (edited) Sad to hear as I think these guys are much a part of the positive force to help these great beasts while, unfortunately, at the same time making a glittery pant-load of mulah off of them. Let's hope nothing bad happens to this tiger. This is on my short list of reads> Has anyone picked this up? Edited October 4, 2003 by Man with the Golden Arm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Wheel Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 B-b-b-but who is Conan going to be able to make fun of now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 I can't believe it. When a person isn't safe in the presence of an enormous carnivore, you know things are really bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 B-b-b-but who is Conan going to be able to make fun of now? Not to worry. Ah-nold has stepped in to take his place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 (edited) It's always a shame when people get hurt in situations like this, but it can hardly be much of a surprise. The inherent risk is what makes it attractive to the paying public- "Look, we've taken these wild animals out of their native habitat and have taught them to do cute little tricks!". Instincts obviously run deeper than training and the odds were that this would happen sooner or later. I for one wish that society would get over the need to see wild animals in captivity. Man, when I go to a zoo I feel bad- the animals usually look drugged and listless, definitely not happy. I don't have much use for the whole bullfighting thing, either. It really seems cruel, I don't care if it is a long tradition. I often root for the animals. Someone has to. It just seems like a tragedy that was completely unnecessary. I hope the animal doesn't have to pay a price as well. Edited October 4, 2003 by Free For All Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 It's always a shame when people get hurt in situations like this, but it can hardly be much of a surprise. Yeah, the local news last night was playing up the "how shocking" angle. Now, if he'd been attacked by a zebra, I'd have been shocked. But a tiger?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 "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. "Everyone there I think , thought it was part of the act, because no one really freaked out," Kirk Baser said. "A lady ran past me, freaking out and it was then I sort of, in the back of my mind, thought now this isn't part of the show," said David Strudwick. "Freaking out". "Like, Oh my God" Since when does everyone talk like thirteen year old girls in Vegas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacman Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 Now, if he'd been attacked by a zebra, I'd have been shocked. But a tiger?? the local news broke in with the story last night. every audiance member they talked to said the same thing...they thought it was part of the show: "hey Mabel, them fellers sure is good magicians. if i didn't know any better, i'd swear that Tiger just carried that one guy off stage by the head." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 Easter hasn't been the same since President Carter was attacked by a killer rabbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chaney Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 (edited) Dear lord! As we all know these tiger stories come in threes, here's number two... October 5, 2003 Police Subdue a Tiger in Harlem Apartment By ALAN FEUER and JASON GEORGE - The New York Times To the sounds of enormous jungle roars, a police sniper rappelled down the side of a Harlem apartment building yesterday and fired tranquilizer darts through an open fifth-floor window to subdue — seat belts, please — a 350-pound Bengal tiger. The daring, and creative, bit of sharpshooting helped end an episode in which the New York Police Department, unaccustomed to bagging big game, nonetheless managed to sedate the beast. Officials planned to send the tiger, temporarily being held at the Center for Animal Care and Control on 110th Street, to a conservancy in Ohio. What the tiger, along with a four- to five-foot reptile called a caiman, was doing inside a cluttered apartment in the Drew Hamilton Houses at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and 141st Street remained a mystery yesterday. In a news conference at the scene, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the police became involved in the case on Wednesday when the apartment's resident, Antoine Yates, called to say he had been bitten by a pit bull. When the police went to investigate, Mr. Kelly said, Mr. Yates met them in the lobby. He went to Harlem Hospital with bites on an arm and a leg. On Thursday, the police got an anonymous tip saying a wild animal was somewhere in the city. On Friday, another call directed them to the exact address. On Friday night, the police found no one home, but talked to a neighbor who complained of large amounts of urine and a strong smell coming through the ceiling, Mr. Kelly said. The neighbor said her daughter had seen the tiger. Yesterday, the tiger's existence was confirmed. after a hole was cut in the apartment door. Mr. Yates checked out of Harlem Hospital early yesterday, prompting an inquiry into his whereabouts. But investigators said last night he had been located in Philadelphia, where he was being treated at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. How Mr. Yates got to Philadelphia and the nature of his injuries were unclear. The police said he faced charges of reckless endangerment. The caiman also was taken to the Center for Animal Care and Control shelter, the police said. "This is an only-in-New-York story," Mr. Kelly said. Getting to the tiger, a male, was no simple task. From an apartment on the fourth floor, the police first eased a pole-mounted camera out the window to keep track of him. Meanwhile, on the seventh floor, they prepared a team to rappel down so they would have a clearer view when firing tranquilizer darts to subdue him. The police also called in animal experts, including Dr. Robert A. Cook, head veterinarian at the Bronx Zoo. Dr. Cook, visibly angry over the cramped conditions in which the tiger prowled, said keeping the creature in such a setting was "crazy." "If he had escaped it would have been a very bad thing," he said. It was shortly before 4:30 p.m. when the police sniper, Officer Martin Duffy, armed with a dart gun and a rifle with live ammunition, began to rappel down toward the window. He fired one dart a few minutes later, which drew a knee-shaking roar from inside the apartment. After a few more minutes it was determined that the tiger had been hit, the police said, but was not yet fully sedated. So Officer Duffy fired another dart. As hundreds of onlookers gathered on the street, some began to wonder if this urban big cat would get along so well in the less cosmpolitan reaches of Ohio. "My concern is that the city cat won't make it in the country," said Lynnette Braxton, 49. "He's going to have no jazz, no hip-hop. He's going to miss the Harlem Renaissance." Edited October 5, 2003 by Chaney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 what do you expect? the guy sticks his head in the tiger's mouth every day. cracks that little whip at him. i say the tiger had enough! watch for johnny cochran to use the battered tiger defense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted October 6, 2003 Report Share Posted October 6, 2003 i still don't see why roy didn't grab his purse or shoe and beat the shit outta that tiger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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