# Roy of "Siegfried and Roy" attacked by his own White Tiger at the Mirage! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505 "2003-10-04T05:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/21 "2003-10-04T19:11:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Emergency officials arrived at the MGM Mirage Hotel-Casino around 8:20 p.m. Ambulances have to be on-site at football games and rodeos, it seems like they should also be on-site when people are performing with huge, flesh-eating kittycats. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/22 "2003-10-04T19:13:57Z")
_Wild animals belong in the wild._ It’s as simple as that. Want to know why this happened? The cat realized that instead of roaming the jungle with his proud bretheren he had been forced into this existence as a cheap amusement for his captors, and _it was payback time._ ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/23 "2003-10-04T19:36:49Z")
[ul]Inside one of the showrooms, Gunter and Ernst demonstrate their talented albino tiger riding a unicycle. “A round of applause, please, for Anastasia. She loves show-business. So much nicer than the savagery of the jungle, ja?” In a flashback, we see Anastasia sleeping peacefully in Africa. Behind her two men approach in a jeep. “Hey, tiger!” one of them calls out, “Wake up!” He shoots a tranquilizer dart into her, and she slumps over. The memory angers her sufficiently to attack her owners and tear them to shreds.†[/ul] And it’s no more _prescient_ than someone stating we can one day expect a lawsuit against the NBC for a choking incident involving a goat rectum. * * * † Courtesy _[The Simpsons Archive](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/1F08.html)_. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/24 "2003-10-04T19:37:05Z")
While I somehwhat agree that wild animals should be in the wild, I don’t know about this case. Aren’t the white tigers specifically _bred_? I doubt a bright white animal would have much luck lurking around the jungle for dinner. More likely he’d have slowly starved to death. ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/25 "2003-10-04T19:56:39Z")
Of course they’re an easy target (and apparently this tiger realized this, too\* ), but I just thought The Onion having an entire article about them _this week_ was an amusing coincedence. - - Yes, yes, I’m going to Hell. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/26 "2003-10-04T22:14:33Z")
white lions and white tigers have a difficult time in the wild. roy has his cats from cradle to grave. he def. understood that they could attack him at any time. he has had some close calls before. i remember reading that he even bit one of his tigers on the nose, hard enough to bleed, because he saw the tiger’s eyes “turn.” on stage when the cat gets that “look,” you don’t have to many options except getting the cat off stage. although in this case i’m sure roy would have preferred getting him off stage without his neck in the cat’s teeth. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/27 "2003-10-04T22:21:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Roy of “Siegfried and Roy” attacked by **his own** White Tiger at the Mirage! (emphasis added) Oooh the irony. When I first heard the story I assumed it was a rival magician’s white tiger. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/28 "2003-10-04T22:22:11Z")
I heard about that close call before, too, **rocking chair** , on the E! True Hollywood story. I don’t get it–why are they easy targets? I’ve always thought of them as really cool. Possibly the coolest German tiger wrangling non-heteros in all of Vegas. \ The accents…the tight pants…Ahhh. They rock. Did any one else not realize they had last names? ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/29 "2003-10-04T23:28:40Z")
Wow, how sad for everyone involved. I hope Roy pulls through, the bit about him being conscious and talking in the ambulance is a good sign, I think. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/30 "2003-10-04T23:50:29Z")
**Siegfried** , what are you doing posting? Get back to the hospital to stay with Roy! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Seriously, I hope he will be ok. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/31 "2003-10-05T00:10:04Z")
Semi-related Simpsons Question: Which episode featured an airport with a “Tiger Identification Chart?” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/32 "2003-10-05T00:17:19Z")
“The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons” _I’ll send **you** to St. Louis_. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/33 "2003-10-05T01:38:52Z")
Apparently CNN has the footage of it, but it is the paid subscription of it. Nuts. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/34 "2003-10-05T01:52:55Z")
**Shirley** : the footage from Apu’s wedding? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@kka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kka)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/35 "2003-10-05T02:08:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \* > \*\*Apparently CNN has the footage of it, but it is the paid subscription of it. > \*\* Anybody seen it yet? ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/36 "2003-10-05T02:09:15Z")
**Brynda** , I was wondering how long that was going to take. 😉 On a side note, my user name comes from Richard Wagner’s _Ring_ cycle. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/37 "2003-10-05T02:13:50Z")
Wagner, huh? Well, I have it that Vegas’ _Siegfried_ comes from a pair of abandoned carny BVDs. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/38 "2003-10-05T06:37:44Z")
They said on the local news here in Las Vegas tonight that the cast and crew of the Siegfried and Roy show have been told to “look for other career opportunities”…plus they have cancelled all shows “at least” through the end of the year. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/39 "2003-10-05T22:23:53Z")
it seems siegfried and roy had a pact on not doing the show alone, if one of them couldn’t go on. i do hope he recovers. of course i’m wondering what happens to all the animals if roy passes. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505/40 "2003-10-06T04:04:20Z")
Gah! I’ve been out of town this weekend. Any news on his condition today? Will the cat be destroyed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-of-siegfried-and-roy-attacked-by-his-own-white-tiger-at-the-mirage/205505.md?page=3)