Debunking Vegas Myths: Tiger Assault Not Caused by Siegfried & Roy
The story that was published two decades ago about the unfortunate incident during Siegfried & Roy's performance, which resulted in the termination of their magical act and the end of using animals for entertainment in Vegas, was a terrible tragedy.
However, what really happened at the incident, which led to the attack on Roy Horn by a Bengal tiger named Mantacore, was not as it appeared. In front of more than 1,500 perplexed spectators at The Mirage in Las Vegas on October 3, 2003, during their performance, the tiger bit into Horn's neck, damaging an artery supplying oxygen to his brain and crushing his larynx, leaving him paralyzed for the past 17 years.
While the blame was initially passed off to everyone except Horn, the dancer who was with the duo's large cats, various accusations were made. Steve Wynn, the founder of The Mirage at the time, pointed fingers at a woman in the front row whose wild hairstyle he said had distracted the tiger. Another theory circulated by MGM after receiving emails was that an antigay terrorist had used a scent to change the behavior of the animal. Fischbacher, Siegfried's partner who was responsible for the illusions, even suggested that the tiger was safeguarding Horn from an unknown threat.
But the actual explanation, according to a witness who was present, was different. Chris Lawrence, not in it for any commercial gain or selling a book or movie about it, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that Horn messed up during the performance.
Caught Up in a Whirlwind
In a routine referred to as "The Rapport," Horn would invite one of the duo's 50+ tigers on stage, most often Mantacore, and introduce the 400-pound, 7-foot-long wild creature to the audience. Horn would always say that it was the tiger's first time on stage, a lie intended to make the audience think they were witnessing something unique. Mantacore had already performed this act more than 2,000 times by then.
During the routine, Horn would crouch by the side of the tiger, holding a microphone in front of it and instructing it to say something. The tiger would then roar. Horn would then stand up, and it would put its front paws on his shoulders, giving the impression they were having a dialogue and dancing off stage together.
One of their well-known acts, "The Rapport" helped give the audience the misconception that tigers, or at least Siegfried & Roy's tigers, were affectionate creatures capable of human-like emotions.
On that fateful night, Mantacore wasn't cooperating with the act. He didn't obey Horn’s commands and walked further away than he was supposed to.
Instead of stopping the performance, Horn decided to carry on, improvising a new part. According to Lawrence, this was his almost lethal error.
"Instead of leading Mantacore in a circle, as is usually done, he just used his arm to steer him back into his body, like a pirouette," the handler said.
Mantacore felt this unexpected shove as an attack and responded accordingly, biting into Horn's clothing. Horn tried to back away, constantly shouting "No!" and repeatedly hitting the tiger on the nose with his microphone. The audience heard these thuds throughout the still hushed theater.
It's widely believed that the show had humanized its four-legged performers, but Mantacore was still a wild and unpredictable creature.
A Bite That Changed Everything
When Mantacore let go, he was considering his next move in response to what he perceived as Horn's unfairly aggressive behavior. Lawrence then ran on stage to try to distract the tiger by throwing raw steak cubes on the stage.
This approach failed, so Lawrence grabbed Mantacore's leash, allowing Horn to move away. However, Horn's retreat triggered the tiger to break free from Lawrence and jump towards him, knocking Horn down. Mantacore then stood on his hind legs, lifting Horn off the ground by the wound on his neck, and dragged him off stage.
The moment that likely traumatized survivors is when Horn's limp and bleeding body was lifted into the air by the tiger.
Lawrence's account of the events was supported by the majority of witnesses who provided statements over the years. In the backstage area, Horn could only be released when Lawrence's supervisor shoved his fingers into Mantacore's mouth, causing him to bite - a measure known as "fish-hooking." At the same time, another worker followed Lawrence's advice and sprayed Mantacore with a fire extinguisher.
The Cover-up
There were no wild beehive hairstyles or signs of terrorism. It was not about saving Roy from any perceived danger. It was simply a case of improper handling of a tiger that was simply being a tiger - by someone who should have known much better.
If Horn had stopped the performance as soon as Mantacore resisted cooperating, instead of trying to force the wild animal back to its mark, this nightmare could have been averted.
Horn could have informed the audience that tigers are wild creatures and that sometimes they don't want to be controlled; it would have been an excellent educational experience and might have led to some news articles. And Siegfried & Roy could have retired in a way they chose, presumably with no near-fatal incidents.
The world might have learned the truth earlier, but The Mirage's proprietor, MGM, has always prevented the incident's video release. At first, the corporate executives insisted that no such footage existed. Only after it was discovered that Siegfried & Roy taped their performances every night did MGM own up to their refusal to release the footage.
Given that this happened four years before the iPhone and two years before YouTube, there were no audience videos for people to decide what had happened for themselves.
The United States Department of Agriculture, which probes all domestic animal attacks, was interfered with by a U.S. Senator, Harry Reid. Reid argued that MGM, the state's most significant employer, should not be compelled to disclose the video.
Incredibly, Reid even drafted an amendment to a spending bill forbidding the use of federal funds to subpoena this specific tape. (The bill passed without the addition, but that's still astonishing.)
Eventually, an arrangement was reached where the federal agency was allowed to view the video once but not to obtain it.
The USDA ceased its investigation in 2005 without officially identifying what provoked Mantacore. But it did note that the show failed to protect its audience due to the lack of a barrier separating the animals from the audience. For this, it issued a letter of non-compliance to Siegfried & Roy's production firm, without any penalty.
White Tiger Lies
Factions formed to shield both Siegfried & Roy and their influential friends.
First and foremost, Siegfried & Roy - and their all-powerful compatriots - were trying to protect their image and legacy as the globe's most remarkable tiger act. And, although the changing times made it clear that their $45 million-a-year show was coming to an end - to be replaced by Cirque du Soleil's "The Beatles LOVE" in the same theater a short time later - it seemed to many that Las Vegas itself was on trial.
Had tourists been drinking the Las Vegas Kool-Aid for too long? Was this so-called Adult Disneyland more closely resembling Jurassic Park, where humans recklessly tried to dominate nature but ultimately failed, leaving behind emotional scars - and perhaps injuries - to their paying customers?
This was a rare instance in Las Vegas history where a conspiracy theory would have been confirmed.
"I did it because I was trying to save Las Vegas from embarrassment," Reid, shortly before his 2021 death, told journalist Steven Leckart on the Apple podcast, "Wild Things."
"Siegfried and Roy were tremendously important to Nevada because they really drew the crowds, and they entertained very well," Reid continued. "I think they were part of making the city what it is today, so I wanted to ensure that (animal-rights activists and gaming regulators) didn't do anything that would hurt Las Vegas."
One Final Illusion
In one of their final public appearances as a pair, Siegfried & Roy featured on Entertainment Tonight in 2014, teasing that they would disclose "what truly happened" on stage that night.
In the clip, which can be found on YouTube, Horn recounts a highly suspect narrative intended to absolve him of all guilt in the incident. In this account, Horn fainted on stage from a natural stroke. (He absolutely did have one, though whether it happened before or after the attack is still debated.)
According to Horn, Mantacore, worried for Horn's safety, took hold of his neck like a mother to her cub, and carried him offstage. The accidental bite and subsequent blood loss, he claimed, relieved the pressure in his brain, saving his life.
"It was an absolute blessing," Horn affirmed.
Horn extended this narrative on Facebook, claiming to have revived Mantacore by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when the cub was born not breathing.
They say that the beloved tiger was simply repaying a favor: "I spared his life, and he saved mine."
Isn't a myth just another kind of deception, though?
Tune in every Monday for "Vegas Myths Busted" on Visit to check out past dispelled Vegas legends. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth in need of debunking? Drop a line at [your email].
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Source: www.casino.org
