Unclear if Roy to fully recover from tiger attack
Date: 09-Oct-03
Country: USA
Author: Peter Henderson
Horn remained in critical condition after the mauling on Friday night during a show on his 59th birthday, neurosurgeon Derek Duke said in a statement.
Horn was able to move his right hand and both feet to communicate with those at his hospital bedside, said a spokesman, who declined to say whether Horn's injuries appeared to have affected his brain or his ability to speak.
"Mr. Horn's injury was extremely severe, and it is all but miraculous that he is alive at this time," Duke said, crediting the "extraordinary will and strong physical attributes" of the dark-haired partner in the German performing duo.
"While we are very pleased with his progress, Mr. Horn is in critical condition and it will be quite some time before the extent of his recovery is known," he said. "Every day that passes increases his chance for survival and recovery."
The two performers met and joined forces in 1959, when Horn smuggled a cheetah on board a cruise ship where Siegfried Fischbacher was performing magic.
The partners headed to Las Vegas and became top performers in the desert city and gambling oasis. "Siegfried & Roy" was featured along with a fake volcano at the first mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip, the Mirage.
A seven-year-old white tiger seized Horn by the neck in the middle of a performance Friday, the first injury sustained in nearly 5,700 shows at the Mirage.
However, another worker in the past had been bitten by a tiger in the cages, a spokesman for Horn said.
An artery in Horn's neck was opened in the attack. Crew members pulled the tiger off by spraying the cat with a fire extinguisher and then paramedics rushed Horn to the trauma unit at University Medical Center for surgery.
The show was shut down, probably for good, according to members of the show, and roughly 260 cast and crew have been urged to find new work.
The Mirage, owned by MGM Mirage, stands to lose millions of dollars in ticket revenue and dining and casino patronage by show viewers who paid $110.50 each and filled the 1,500-seat theater six times a week.
Duke said that Horn had never been in a "drug-induced coma" despite a swirl of rumors and pronounced himself pleased with the magician's progress and ability to communicate.
