Inside The Wild New Theories About The Siegfried And Roy Tiger Attack

Publish date: 2024-05-09

A shocked and saddened public watched the fallout from Roy Horn's 2003 tiger attack, but as Siegfried and Roy's high-grossing illusionist show at the Mirage shut down permanently in 2010, rumors began to percolate that Horn's beloved Bengal, Mantecore, turning on him was not a random act. "There were theories that... somebody triggered the tiger," Steven Leckart, host of the Apple TV+ podcast, "Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy, told the New York Post. "You wonder why somebody would try to turn a tiger against a magician."

The "Why" is exactly what Leckart explores in his podcast, examples ranging from animal rights activists to homophobia to an attempt to cripple Las Vegas' economy (the Siegfried and Roy act grossed $45 million a year, per the Post.). Leckart clarified that the incident was treated like "an actual crime," specifically "a potential hate crime... Motives that were explored seemed bananas — and they are." The Mirage had, for instance, received a cryptic email that read, "If there is audio & video of the tiger attack it should be analyzed for far-UV and or high ultra-sonics, as well as other triggers that might be the work of a terrorist aiming at a high profile GAY target." The tip was not taken lightly, and like others, was dutifully filed into a government report investigating the attack.  

As Leckart admitted, "It was the wildest case investigators ever worked on."

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7XCpKCsr5mbwW%2BvzqZmcGpmZ4B3e8inqqKclWLBqbGMsKClnF2jsrh506GcqKqZmsBurcGorK1lpJ2ybr%2FInp6fqpmasW6tzZ1kq6epYsGqs8SrZJqspJawrHs%3D