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Original Message
"That Darn Cat!"
Posted by dabo on 10-09-03 at 03:27 PM
Siegfried speaks about the tiger attack on his partner Roy.

http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=137020

Was Tiger Trying to Help?
Oct 9, 9:23 AM EST

Associated Press

The tiger that injured Roy Horn of the duo "Siegfried & Roy" had been trying to help the illusionist after he slipped and accidentally harmed him by using too much force, says Horn's partner, Siegfried Fischbacher.

"A cat is a tiger and when he wants to protect his pal he does it the way a tiger does, with his strength," Fischbacher said in an interview broadcast Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "But we are human; we are a little more fragile."

"The cat realized there was something wrong," he said. "Roy slipped, I run after, all my animal handlers run after, so he was just confused."

Fischbacher said Wednesday on CNN's "Larry King Live" that he had been standing backstage when Horn was wounded by the Royal White tiger named Montecore.

The illusionist tripped and the tiger lunged, grabbing Horn's arm, Fischbacher said. After Horn tried to free himself by hitting the tiger on the head with a microphone, the 600-pound animal took hold of his neck and then dragged him offstage. Show workers set off fire extinguishers backstage to distract the tiger, which then scurried to his cage.

Fischbacher said the tiger didn't intend to kill Horn. If that was the case, he said, "I wouldn't be here, Roy wouldn't be here." (Aside: This is what I suspected, the tiger could easily have killed Roy on the spot had that been its intention.)

According to Fischbacher, Horn muttered after the attack: "Don't harm the cat."

Fischbacher hinted at a return to the stage if Horn recovers, saying the duo would "take a different path, I'm sure, but ... the show is our life."

The duo's manager Bernie Yuman told The Associated Press early Thursday that Siegfried would never continue to perform without his longtime partner. "It is Siegfried and Roy and that's the way it began and that's the way it will always be," he said.

Fischbacher said Horn still can't talk but is communicating through hand signals — one gesture for "yes," two for "no."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Fischbacher confirmed that Horn suffered a stroke after the attack but did not discuss Horn's injuries or whether Horn is expected to recover fully.

"We take it hour by hour, day by day," Fischbacher said.

The cat remains quarantined at the casino. The federal Agriculture Department is investigating.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. Thank you, AP.

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Messages in this discussion
"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by Schnookie Palookie on 10-09-03 at 03:29 PM
I hope Roy recovers.

They are gorgeous animals. I do hope they don't continue on with the show though. Enough is enough with using animals for entertainment. They've made their millions. Retire and enjoy life.

"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by ginger on 10-09-03 at 03:34 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-09-03 AT 03:44 PM (EST)

Wow - a little denial? The tiger was HELPING Roy?

Also, for some reason, the name "Siegfried Fischbacher" makes me snicker.

With friends like that, who needs enemies? Although I am glad they will likely not destroy the tiger.

"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by pythonfan on 10-09-03 at 06:49 PM
I am also glad that they will probably not kill the tiger.

It's sad that it happened, really. My first reaction, though, was "well, if you put a wild animal in an environment that is not their own..." but I won't start that debate *grin*

Hope he gets better and just sits and home and counts his money - and maybe gets a nice house cat. Hey, I have some he can have :-P


"No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens." - Abraham Lincoln

"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by OceansAngel16 on 10-09-03 at 07:12 PM
though they are probably not going to kill the tiger, people are still pushing for them to kill it. I really hope those protesters hoping to get the tiger killed do not succeed
"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by mtopaz on 10-09-03 at 04:09 PM
I agree Schnookie, although I think Siegfried and Roy probably treat their performing animals extremely humanely. I remember watching an interview with them, and Roy talking about his kinship with the big cats, that he doesn't have to train them, they do what he asks because they love him. Dunno how true that is, but I do believe he loves those big cats.

They've made tons of money - hopefully Siegfried and Roy and their animals will all retire gracefully.

"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by OceansAngel16 on 10-09-03 at 05:02 PM
They do treat their animals incredibly well, better than most preforming animals. I agree thought hat animals shouldn't be used for entertaiment, but sometimes it helps people learn about the animals. I think my mother and father were talking about how they have a reserve where they keep a lot of endangered animals.
But sometimes animals do devlop a kinship with their handlers. What Siefgried and Roy do is far different from the animals used in a circus, those animals do a lot of what they do out of fear. I do believe that Roy is right. Their animals do it out of love.
"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by wendyp on 10-09-03 at 04:05 PM
I agree with Nookie...I hope Roy is okay but I also hope that they do not hurt the tiger. They could put it in a zoo, do nto think the cat living in captivity that long would survive in the jungle again.

"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by L82LIFE on 10-09-03 at 05:22 PM
I would hate to see the animal put down for using his instincts. Wild animals, no matter how well trained, still have the instincts of a wild animal.

The Mirage has it's own wild animal zoo (The Secret Garden) that they could keep the tiger in.


"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by Tilwee on 10-09-03 at 09:45 PM
I saw Siegfried on Oprah today. He was on for a few minutes explaining what happened. He said that the last thing Roy said was "Please do not hurt the cat".
I wasn't there and I haven't spent anytime with big cats, so I don't know if the cat was protecting Roy or not. I do think that if the cat wanted to kill Roy, he would have done it.
However, I completely agree that the cat should be protected and not put down.
I personally think that animals should remain in the wild and not trained or caged for entertainment purposes. It opens the door for FREAKS, like that guy in New York with the 400lb cat and alligator in his SMALL NY apartment.
Just how did he manage to get those animals in the aprtment and keep them there for a while without anyone complaining ??
"But...it was only a pit bull!"
Posted by Red Lady on 10-10-03 at 04:02 AM
...like that guy in New York with the 400lb cat and alligator in his SMALL NY apartment. Just how did he manage to get those animals in the aprtment and keep them there for a while without anyone complaining ??

I was thinking the same thing as I read this thread Tilwee. The guy in question actually claimed his pit bull had attacked him. Only later did the truth come out!

I also read today the possibility the man also owned a lion. Said lion was thought to be somewhere in the vicinity, while the guy claimed the lion had died recently.

Some people! *eye roll*

As far as Roy is concerned...I wish him nothing but a healthy recovery. It seems a miracle that he survived the ordeal. My hope and prayers go out to him.

"RE: That Darn Cat!"
Posted by probably clueless on 10-10-03 at 08:23 AM
I'm not a real fan of German guys showing off in tights. From all that I've read, these guys seemed to be extrodinarilly dedicated to endangered specieces preservation. Here's to a speedy recovery Roy....


*Education: Curses in Librul Arts, Curses in Computer Science, Curses in Accounting*