FURRY FRIENDS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The animal loving duo of Siegfried Fischbach and Roy Horn appeared with their feline co stars at the FCCJ on Jan. 31, 1989. The two entertainers had become famous in Las Vegas for their work with white tigers and white lions, and were on an international tour. Seated calmly at the table is Naoaki Usui (McGraw-Hill), who had been president of the Club for the previous administrative year.

BOTH ORIGINALLY FROM GERMANY, Siegfried Fischbach and Roy Horn combined animals and magic in a show that became popular across Europe. The two entertainers then took their act to the U.S., where both eventually became naturalized. Their elaborate show was a perennial favorite in Las Vegas, first at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino until 1988 and then at the Mirage Hotel from 1990 until October 2003.

During a show at the Mirage that October, Roy Horn was bitten on the neck by a seven year old male white tiger named Mantecore, and despite suffering from severe blood loss, insisted that no harm should come to the tiger. Horn later claimed that he had passed out as the result of taking a hypertensive medication and the animal had accidentally severed an artery while trying to drag him to safety.

The injury resulted in the closing of the show. By September 2005, however, Roy Horn was again able to walk without aid, and in February of 2009 the duo staged a final benefit appearance with Mantecore.

Siegfried & Roy retired from show business in April 2010. Four years later a press release reported the death of Mantecore at the age of 17.

— Charles Pomeroy