What Happened to the White Tigers at the Mirage in Las Vegas

The famous Las Vegas tiger show by Siegfried and Roy provided entertainment to Sin City visitors for five decades. With the show performed thousands of times, it was watched by tens of millions of people, making it world-famous. However, a tragic onstage incident in the early 2000s, resulted in the closure of the show which was played at the Mirage at the time.

While more than two decades have passed since, many are still wondering what happened to the white tigers at the Mirage and are Siegfried and Roy still alive, among many other unanswered questions surrounding the popular magical show that included exotic animals and unique tricks.

The Mirage in Las Vegas used to be the home of Siegfried and Roy's Las Vegas tiger show for more than a decade.
Image credit: Unsplash.com

The rise of popularity of the Las Vegas tiger show

Siegfried Fischbacher was born in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany, on June 13, 1939. His magician partner, Uwe Ludwig Horn, who later changed his name to Roy Horn, was also born in Germany but on October 3, 1944. While the two were born and raised in Germany, they officially gained citizenship from the United States in 1988.

Siegfried and Roy initially met on a cruise ship where the latter worked as a waiter, while the former was showcasing magic tricks. At the time, Fischbacher used the stage name Delmare. During that trip, the duo had the interesting idea of bringing a live cheetah on the ship. While ultimately both lost their jobs due to that, their first-time meeting helped start decades-long career.

Siegfried and Roy's show debuted in Las Vegas in 1967.

Image credit: Unsplash.com

Soon after, the two received an offer to participate in Les Folies Bergere, the longest-running show in the history of Las Vegas at The Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas. Siegfried and Roy debuted as a part of the popular show in 1967. About a decade later, their magic act climbed up the ladder overshadowing topless showgirls and became a central part of the famous show.

Gaining more popularity across Sin City, Siegfried and Roy's show moved to The Mirage in 1990. This was one of the newest casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip at the time after opening on November 22, 1989. However, The Mirage closed its doors on July 17, 2024, in a milestone moment of its transformation to become a Hard Rock hotel and casino resort.

The closure of The Mirage follows Hard Rock's acquisition of the venue from MGM Resorts. The deal dates back to December 2022 when Hard Rock agreed to pay the staggering $1.075bn for the property.

Siegfried and Roy's Las Vegas tiger show became an inseparable part of the entertainment available to visitors of Sin City for decades. That was the case until a tragic accident resulted in the removal of the famous magic show from The Mirage in 2003.

Despite the show's tragic end, it proved to be one of the most popular entertainment events, featuring live animals and magic, capturing the hearts of millions of people. Running for approximately five decades, Siegfried and Roy's Las Vegas tiger show was watched by an estimated 50 million people. Overall, the magic duo performed the show some 30,000 times, surpassing the mind-blowing sum of $1bn in ticket sales.

A seven-year-old tiger attacked Horn during a show late in 2003

The accident with The Mirage tigers dates back to Siegfried and Roy's show on October 3, 2003. The show was scheduled for the same day Horn was born, and this was his 59th birthday. Regretfully, one of the tigers attacked Horn and he was nearly fatally wounded.

At some point during the show, Horn asked a seven-year-old tiger called Mantacore to tell the audience "Hello." While he moved the microphone closer to the tiger's mouth, Mantacore's response was a bite on his sleeve. After that, Horn told the tiger "no, no" and used the microphone to hit Mantacore on the nose.

Similar to other shows, a trainer tried to distract the animal by offering meat. However, the tiger remained focused on Horn and some point rushed toward him and pushed him with its feet. While trainers tried to rescue Horn, Mantacore then violently bit into his neck.

Leaving a bloody trail, the tiger dragged Horn's body off the stage. There, trainers did their best and, in the end, managed to save the victim from Mantacore's sharp teeth. However, saving Horn wasn't easy as several trainers rushed at the tiger, using a fire extinguisher to spray the animal and even try to force its mouth open with their hands.

While Horn survived the violent tiger attack, he lost a lot of blood. Mantacore's bite on his neck resulted in permanent injuries and impairment as Horn's spine was severed. According to media reports, the victim also suffered a stroke though it's unclear whether that occurred before or after the tiger dragged his body off the stage.

Despite the violent encounter, Siegfried and Roy returned to the stage for a final appearance in a show featuring Mantacore. The show took place in February 2009 and early on the following year, the magic duo announced their plans to retire.

What happened to Siegfried and Roy tigers?

A decade after the tragic accident with Siegfried and Roy, the tiger that attacked Horn, Mantacore, died in March 2014. At the time, the tiger was 17 years old.

Still, several other tigers were left at the "Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden," at the Mirage. This led to many people asking what happened to the white tigers at The Mirage. According to a report from July 2023 by KOIN, six tigers that were formerly housed at the shuttered attraction at The Mirage were transported to a new home.

The tigers' new home at WildCat Ridge Sanctuary close to Scott Mills in Oregon was chosen after the attraction was closed in 2022.

Are Siegfried and Roy still alive?

After they decided to retire in 2010, Siegfried and Roy lived for a decade before passing away. The first of the magic duo to pass away was Horn, who amid the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020 tested positive for the virus. Days later, Horn's condition worsened which led to his death on May 8, 2020. At the time of his passing, Horn was 75.

After Horn's passing, Siegfried Fischbacher said in a statement: "The world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend," as reported by CBS News. Not even a year later, at age of 81, Fischbacher also passed away on January 11, 2021.

While on stage, Siegfried and Roy entertained millions of Las Vegas visitors. This is why the duo and their Las Vegas tiger show will forever remain part of the rich heritage of the gambling capital of the world.

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