[Azimaith]

Well I must say, I admire they are atleast standing by their tiger rather than blaming it. If this is true it will make this event alot less terrible than it seems.



Siegfried Says Tiger Was Trying to Help
Thu Oct 9, 3:10 PM ET

By ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS - 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.


Reuters
Slideshow: 'Siegfried & Roy' Magician Mauled by Tiger

Doctor: Roy Recovering From Tiger Attack
(AP Video)



"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."


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.


"Siegfried & Roy" debuted in 1990 at The Mirage and earned the hotel-casino about $44 million in annual revenue. The show's 267 employees have been told to find new jobs.


Horn, 59, was injured Friday before a sellout performance of 1,500.


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


"So we talk. ... and also with eye contact," he said. "When you are that long together ... he understood exactly what I was saying. I could see it in his face."


Horn remained in critical condition Wednesday at University Medical Center but has shown signs of improvement. Doctors said he moved his hands and feet during the weekend.


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.


Fischbacher spoke inside the "Jungle Palace," one of his Las Vegas homes that's dotted with exotic animal statues and filled with magic books.




No exotic animals were visible, just some house cats, a black palm Cockatoo and a 10-year-old French bulldog named Piaf.

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