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From the Archives: Beware of Leo the Lion

Dec. 29, 1974: Five year old Leo, at 650 pounds, guards the home of magician-animal trainers Siegfried and Roy.
Dec. 29, 1974: Five year old Leo, at 650 pounds, guards the home of magician-animal trainers Siegfried and Roy.
(John Malmin / Los Angeles Times)
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Leo, along with several other large cats, lived at the Las Vegas home of Siegried and Roy. The portrait, by Los Angeles Times staff photographer John Malmin, accompanied a profile on the longtime Vegas duo by staff writer Charles Hillinger that began:

LAS VEGAS -- Residents of a quiet neighborhood in this gambling capital are awakened every morning by a bloodcurdling roar.

No one gets uptight. It’s only Leo.

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Leo, a 650-pound, 5-year-old lion, is one of five large cats living at the home of Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn.

The other animals are Sarah, a rare Siberian tiger; Radscha, a Bengal tiger; Sabu, a black panther; and Sasha, an African leopard.

Signs on gates leading to Fischbacher and Horn’s backyard warn:’Beware of Dog.”

The two men have no dogs -- just the lion, tigers, leopard and panther.

“The signs are for the burglars,” laughed Horn, adding:

“We’re lucky. No one has tried to break into our place yet.”Lucky for the burglars. They’d never come out alive if they tried. …

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The popular Siegfried and Roy Las Vegas act continued until 2003, when Roy Horn was seriously injured by a tiger. The pair returned for a final performance in March 2009.

This post was originally published on Jan. 4, 2011.

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here

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