Video of Tiger Attack on Magician to Stay Private
The company that produced the Siegfried and Roy magic show said Wednesday that it would not give federal investigators the video of a tiger attack on illusionist Roy Horn to protect the performer’s privacy.
Feld Entertainment Inc. also said it had offered on several occasions to show video footage of the Oct. 3 attack to the U.S. Department of Agriculture but the agency had not accepted the invitation.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Sept. 4, 2004 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday September 04, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 58 words Type of Material: Correction
Siegfried & Roy -- Articles in various sections of The Times have been in conflict about the weight of the tiger that mauled illusionist Roy Horn on Oct. 3. Times reports have given its weight as 300, 550 and 600 pounds. Siegfried & Roy’s publicist and Las Vegas animal control officials said the tiger weighed about 380 pounds.
“Feld Entertainment is cooperating with the USDA and will continue to provide the agency with the necessary information to complete its pending investigation, while also protecting Roy Horn and his family’s privacy,” the Vienna, Va.-based company said in a statement.
Agriculture Department spokesman Jim Rogers said the probe into the tiger attack remained open and confirmed that the show was under investigation for possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The act authorizes the USDA to take action against violators and impose fines and suspend or revoke licenses.
The USDA has been investigating the attack since Horn was mauled by the 300-pound tiger during a performance at the Mirage hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The tiger bit Horn in the neck and dragged him offstage in view of 1,500 audience members. One of the show’s employees was able to break the animal’s grip by hitting it with a fire extinguisher.
Horn survived the attack but suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and the successful show closed.
The 59-year-old Horn made a rare public appearance Tuesday night at the Cuban revue “Havana Night Club” at the Stardust hotel-casino, signaling thumbs-up from his wheelchair at the Siegfried and Roy-backed show, said Dave Kirvin, a spokesman for Siegfried and Roy.
In the statement, Feld Entertainment said it “believed the footage of Roy Horn’s accident would quickly end up in the hands of media, who would then sensationalize this horrible tragedy.”
The company also said the magicians wanted to “avoid images of this tragic accident being accessible to children and families all around the world.”
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