June 28, 2005
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A final Department of Agriculture report on the tiger attack that left Roy Horn partially paralyzed is out. But it doesn’t really answer the main question — “why the attack occured in the first place.” Even with that, there’s some very interesting information in the report.
The entrance to Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden where thousands of fans left get well tributes after the Oct. 3, 2003 tiger attack during a performance. The report sheds new light, but doesn’t end the debate on why it happened.
The report gives a comprehensive account of the mauling by a white tiger named Montecore of Roy Horn on stage. Associated Press Reporter Adam Goldman obtained the 233-page report through a Freedom of Information Act request made to the Department of Agriculture. The federal agency investigated because an exotic animal was involved.
The report says moments after the attack one employee jumped on the tiger’s tail and tried to open it’s mouth to free Horn. Another employee sprayed a fire extinguisher into Montecore’s face. Finally the tiger let go.
The animal crushed Horn’s windpipe and damaged an artery carrying oxygen to the illusionist’s brain leaving him partially paralyzed.
In addition to these new details, the report shows the investigation finished Sep. 28, 2004 without answering the vital question of why.
Alan Feldman, spokesman for the MGM-Mirage, said, “What we wanted to do was try to look into any scenario, try to prove or disprove anything that might have led to what happened.”
Feldman says the final report ended the investigation into the Oct. 3, 2003 attack on Horn. It included a Metro Homeland Security report, eyewitness accounts of the mauling and an internal MGM-Mirage investigation report.
The theory that Montecore was protecting Horn from a perceived threat in the audience did not pan out. Investigators concluded no animal rights terrorist somehow provoked the attack. The Department of Agriculture found Montecore had been fed on schedule.
After 2,000 performances by the tiger on stage, the reason for the mauling remains a mystery.
Feldman said, “I think that you really have to go back to what Roy and Siegfried have been saying. I really don’t think that anyone understands those animals better than they do. I don’t think that anyone understands what it was to be those circumstances the way they do.”
Roy Horn is still partially paralyzed from the attack. He is undergoing a form of stem cell therapy in Germany. From his bed he released a statement saying he’s delighted with the course of the treatment.
MGM-Mirage is in the process of renovating the Siegfried and Roy theater. A Cirque de Soleil show will start a run in the venue. MGM-Mirage hopes to have it open by the end of the year.
