Siegfried Roy

In a city that is usually impossible to shock, the savaging of Roy Horn on Oct. 3, 2003, onstage and in front of a live audience at the Mirage, created one of those rare moments where all locals can say where they were when they heard the news. Steve Wynn, who spent millions to have the theater at the Mirage customized for the "Siegfried & Roy" show, remembered his first reaction in an interview this week: "I could not believe one of Roy's cats attacked him."

A 600-pound tiger that nearly killed Roy Horn of the Las Vegas act of Siegfried & Roy has been released from quarantine, Clark County officials said. The 7-year-old white tiger named Montecore was isolated for 10 days to ensure it didn't have rabies, county spokeswoman Stacey Welling said. The animal had been held in isolation at the Mirage hotel-casino since the Oct. 3 attack. The 59-year-old illusionist remained in critical condition.

A tiger attacked magician Roy Horn in the middle of a Friday night performance of "Siegfried & Roy" at the Mirage hotel and casino in Las Vegas, authorities said. Horn, who turned 59 on Friday, was reported in critical condition at University Medical Center, where he was admitted into surgery. "The tiger went for his neck, then drug him offstage," said Andy Cushman, who was in the audience for the 7:30 p.m. performance. "He looked like a rag doll."

Illusionist Roy Horn, who with partner Siegfried Fischbacher parlayed big-production magic and disappearing white tigers into one of the most successful and longest-running shows on the Las Vegas Strip, remained in critical condition Saturday after being attacked onstage by one of the show's veteran animals. Horn's condition showed no improvement Saturday after overnight surgery to repair a life-threatening bite to his neck that stunned a Friday night showroom filled with 1,500 people.

At $110.50 per ticket, Siegfried & Roy were neither the hottest act on the Strip nor the most economical. And yet, such was their iconic status that people kept paying to see their shows at the Mirage hotel and casino, even as the explosion of Cirque du Soleil spectaculars cut into business and made their tigers and magic act all the more dated. There was simply no better way to mint one's Las Vegas experience than to say you had seen Siegfried & Roy.

With Siegfried & Roy illusionist Roy Horn still in critical condition Sunday after being mauled onstage by a tiger, the future of the duo's long-running show was in doubt. Horn, who has undergone multiple surgeries since the Friday night attack, including one to relieve swelling on his brain, is under heavy sedation and breathing through a ventilator. "He's cognizant; he understands exactly where we are," said Bernie Yuman, longtime manager for Horn and partner Siegfried Fischbacher.

MGM Mirage's annual profit may be cut as much as 10 cents a share because the company closed its Siegfried & Roy show after magician Roy Horn was attacked by a tiger Friday, Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said. But the company's stock held up relatively well Monday: It eased 35 cents, or 1%, to $36.48 on the New York Stock Exchange. Horn, 59, was bitten in the neck by a 600-pound white tiger during a performance at the Mirage hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

It is "all but miraculous" that entertainer Roy Horn is alive and able to communicate after being bitten in the neck by a 600-pound tiger, his doctor said Tuesday. Horn of the "Siegfried & Roy" show is able to move his feet and hands and is responding to treatment, Dr. Derek Duke said at a news conference at University Medical Center where Horn was hospitalized after Friday's attack. Horn, 59, remained in critical condition with a severe neck injury.

Animal experts on Thursday disputed a theory that a tiger accidentally mauled Roy Horn of the duo Siegfried & Roy, saying the 550-pound animal was going for the jugular. "The cat wasn't trying to protect him," said Jonathan Kraft, who runs the Arizona-based nonprofit group Keepers of the Wild. "That was a typical killing bite. "I admire the guys; I just think they are sending a wrong message," Kraft said. "The message needs to be: These are wild animals."

The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held a rally Saturday outside the Mirage hotel-casino to urge entertainers Siegfried & Roy to retire their felines after Roy Horn was nearly killed by a tiger during a performance. Carrying signs reading, "The Strip Is No Place for Tigers" and "Big Cats Big Danger," about two dozen demonstrators gathered near the entrance to the resort's large Siegfried & Roy marquee.