Watching Siegfried Fischbacher and his manager on Larry King Live reminds me why I hate these people just out of priciple. A few concerned words for dear old “Roy”, how he’s a “superman”, then it’s straight to the pitches of the Next Big Thing, a deal with Dreamworks. All the superlatives, the fake gravitas, the quasi-inspirational psyche-babble, when they’re actually probably rubbing their hands together with glee.
A great opportunity to plug The Act!
The pseudo-mystical pronouncements, the exaggerated accent (after 40 years, you would expect someone to say “with”, not “mit” . . . ) Astounding.
It just goes to show that these people lead their lives in an insulated bubble of yes-men and sycophants to the extent that their only human reaction to something like this is how to turn it to their best possible advantage.
I’ve heard several reports that there have been no prior incidents of this sort with Siegfried and Roy and their tigers.
You know, I don’t think there was a darn thing wrong with the tiger - everything the tiger did was normal tiger behavior. They’re big, powerful animals that can hurt you without intending to - and I don’t think the tiger really intended harm, if he had, the man would be dead.
I used to work with horses - although horses are a prey species and fully domesticated, they’re still big, powerful animals. Everyone once in awhile a horse would step on someone unintentionally and break a foot, or spook and drop a rider into the dirt, or otherwise injure a nearby human. No ill intent on the part of the horse - they’re just big, heavy animals. Likewise, even a gentle, playful swat by a full grown tiger possessing claws, or a nip from a full grown tiger’s teeth, is more than sufficient to cause severe injury to a human being.
As to the personal life of Siegfried and Roy - haven’t a clue, can’t say I’m particularly interested, although it wouldn’t surprise me to learn they were a couple.
It says in this article that Roy “tripped”. I’m thinking this may have startled the kitty and caused the attack. Try making a quick movement around any kitty, it startles them.
A theory I heard this morning while half listening to the radio is that the tiger was actually trying to protect Roy from whatever distracted in him the audience and wanted Roy off stage. I have no cite, I don’t even remember where I heard it. But it is another interesting theory to throw around.
However, I DID hear something interesting on a “Big Cats” show on Animal Planet. Oddly enough it was on Tuesday night (soon after the attack, no?)
Anyway, a guy who works with big cats at the circus said the cats are all very much still predators no matter how they’ve been raised. All their actions and reactions to certain situations point to this. He also said that if a tiger were to bite or scratch a human hard enough to draw blood, the cat would be overcome with predatory instincts and you’d better get the hell out of there ASAP.
The good thing about this situation, so far at least, is that people are recognizing it’s not the tiger’s fault. It’s almost no one’s fault. It’s just nature clashing with Vegas
A cat is always testing dominance.
A cat’s instinct is to survive, even if that means it’s offspring starves.
A (male) cat will kill and eat (others) kittens.
The key work is hard wired. In (most) humans, an impulse is evaluated by the frontal lobes before it is acted upon. It cats an instinct is acted upon first.
tonbo0422, if you don’t want a tiger in your apt. don’t rent in harlem, or west phila. also i doubt that s&r speak english to each other, no doubt most of their staff speaks german as well. i would bet that they only speak english when at or for work. i know quite a few people that have been in the states for years and their english doesn’t reflect it, usually because english is not spoken at home. in most interviews roy was the more outgoing and talkative.
i think if roy hadn’t stumbled, things would have gone differently. i do find it interesting that the tiger took him off stage to (the tiger’s) a crate.
as to s&r, when they were younger there was a very close relationship (wink,wink,nudge,nudge). then there was a best friends, not bed friends time. when aids started to rear it’s ugly head it seemed they went back to the very close relationship. i would describe them as the gay fergie and andrew. they live in the same house (s), they do everything together, they seem like a very married couple who have been together forever.
