4dogknight said:
There have been no other people who have lobbied as much on behalf of all tigers than Sigfried & Roy. In thirty years there has not been any incident resulting in harm to either S&R or the tigers, other than last night when a new tiger was introduced into the act.
4dk
I agree, 4DK. The tigers and lions they used were bred by Seigfried and Roy and from what I understand, as much as working with the animals gained them celebrity, they worked just as hard at doing what they could to try to save the beautiful and very endangered wild tigers. And Mathman, you bring up such an important point. Look at how many environmental and ecological problems we've found out about only decades or centuries after it's too late.
In the article I read, the tiger had been with the show for several years, but was introduced as "making its debut" as part of the show. Here are some quotes from that AP story:
"Halfway into Friday night's performance, Roy Horn appeared alone on stage with the tiger and told the crowd the animal was making its debut in the show - a claim hotel officials said was part of the act. Feldman [S&R's manager] said the animal had been used in the show for several years.
"The tiger, which weighs about 600 pounds, then lunged at Roy, who tried to beat the animal off with a microphone.
"'I knew he was in trouble right away. I was horrified,'' said Diane Weightman, who was in the audience. 'I wanted to jump on stage and help him. I didn't know what to do.'
"Andy Cushman, also in the audience, said Horn 'looked like a rag doll' as the tiger dragged him off the stage.
"Feldman said stage crew members used fire extinguishers to distract the animal and free Roy.
'The tiger involved in the attack, a 7-year-old male named Montecore, was quarantined at the hotel, officials said. "
I think the incident was part of the risk of working with wild animals. The article also said the Seigfried and Roy show has 267 show employees, who met with management the next day and were "encouraged to find new jobs." So it affected a lot of people. S&R were apparently the highest paid regular act in Vegas. S&R signed a lifetime contract with The Mirage in 2001. They perform six shows a week, 44 weeks per year and have been onstage in Las Vegas for more than 35 years.
"Horn, who turned 59 on Friday, had never been injured during a show before. 'Not a scratch, not by an animal,' his stage manager said."
S&R have been working together since 1957, when they met working on an ocean liner.
They traveled around Europe, performing for five years before they got their break in a Monte Carlo casino. An agent in the audience was impressed by their show and invited them to Las Vegas. S&R made their debut at the Tropicana hotel-casino in 1967.
I think that no matter what happens to Roy Horn, the tiger will be well taken care of. Unless he has some kind of disease that made him attack Horn, he was just acting on instinct. R&S breed all their own tigers and at least in some way are helping to keep the white tiger species from becoming extinct. I think both Seigfried & Roy themselves would be the last ones to want the tiger euthanized, unless the tiger has a disease.
Very sad situation, but all people who work with wild animals are or should be aware of the risk. Just because it's a controlled show doesn't make the tigers any less wild.
Rgirl
Btw, the tiger bit him, it should have eaten the cretin. The story (with pics):
] 
] In many ways, America leads the way in endangering the environment. Look at the way much of U.S. society is focused on the material, with super-sized houses and super-sized cars, with Americans consuming a huge portion of the world's resources. I often wonder about some people's obssession with inanimate *things* and their disconnect from the living planet.
