Saturday, December 11, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
'SIEGFRIED & ROY' SHOW: Company ticketed for tiger attack
Action ends investigation into incident
By ADAM GOLDMAN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ticketed the company responsible for the exotic animals used in the "Siegfried & Roy" show, ending a lengthy investigation into the near-fatal tiger attack on illusionist Roy Horn.
S&R Productions received the ticket Dec. 6, nearly 15 months after the bloody incident that left Horn partially paralyzed, USDA spokesman Jim Rogers told The Associated Press on Friday.
Rogers declined to discuss why the company received the ticket, but said it was not considered a violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act and does not carry any penalties.
He described the ticket as a warning and said it concluded the agency's investigation into the attack.
"When we write a ticket we are essentially telling somebody to stop doing something," he said.
"If they continue to engage in the activities that got them the ticket in the first place, we can take further action."
Dave Kirvin, a Siegfried & Roy spokesman, said Friday the company was not aware of the ticket.
Horn, 60, is listed as president of S&R Productions and Siegfried Fischbacher as secretary-treasurer, according to Nevada Secretary of State records.
Feld Entertainment Inc. spokesman Darin Johnson said his company produced the show and S&R Productions owned the big cats, managed the animal operations and handled the cast.
As of Friday, Johnson said his company had not received any communications from the USDA or learned of the investigation's outcome.
Horn was attacked by a 380-pound tiger named Montecore during a live performance Oct. 3, 2003, at The Mirage.
The 7-year-old tiger bit into the performer's neck and dragged him off stage.
Horn has said he fainted during the performance and the tiger was trying to help him by dragging him off stage. Animal experts have disputed that theory.
Horn sustained four deep wounds, including two punctures in the back of his head and two deep cuts on the front of his neck. He also had a stroke.
The tiger's teeth had damaged an artery that carries oxygen to the brain, and crushed Horn's trachea.
Doctors have said Horn was lucky to survive such traumatic injuries.
Earlier this year, the USDA abandoned attempts to get producers to hand over a videotape of the attack after Nevada senators threatened to intervene.
Footage of the attack has never been made public.
The incident ended the long-running "Siegfried & Roy" production, one of the most successful shows in Las Vegas history.
