Siegfried & Roy white lion dies at Ohio zoo

One of two white lions on loan from Siegfried & Roy to an Ohio zoo died Friday after a medical procedure, The Toledo Zoo said.

Legend, a 14-year-old white lion, died when it went into cardiac and respiratory arrest, the zoo said on Facebook.

Zookeepers noticed that Legend’s left leg was lame. The lion was sedated and checked by a veterinarian, and an ultrasound of its heart didn’t show any obvious problems.

Legend died after the procedure, the zoo said. Veterinarians weren’t able to revive him.

“This is a tremendous loss,” the zoo said.

Courage, the other white lion who is also 14 years old, will continue living at the zoo.

Zoo officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn performed their iconic show, which featured illusions and tigers, at The Mirage for over 13 years. The show abruptly ended in 2003 when Horn suffered a near-fatal puncture when one of their tigers, Montecore, knocked him down and dragged him from the stage.

Horn suffered a stroke and was left with partial paralysis. Montecore died last year.

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat still operates at The Mirage.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.