Say a 'do almost did in Roy
By JOSE MARTINEZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Blame the big-haired woman.
Casino kingpin Steve Wynn claims that Montecore - the sharp-toothed beast that feasted on flamboyant illusionist Roy Horn - was set off by the oversized 'do on a front-row spectator.
As the big cat and Roy strode onto the stage at The Mirage, Montecore dropped to all fours to check out the big hair, Wynn said, setting off the events that left one-half of Siegfried & Roy in critical condition.
"[Montecore] did a 90-degree turn and faced sideways toward the woman with the big hairdo," Wynn told Vegas television station KLAS-TV.
"For whatever reason, Montecore was fascinated and distracted by the guest sitting ringside."
Thinking it was part of the act, Wynn said, the woman tried to rub the royal white tiger.
"That's way wrong all the way around," he said.
A 'gentle' nip
When Roy stepped between the pair, Wynn said, Montecore "gently" sank his teeth into the magician's arm, not even leaving so much as a scratch or a tear in his glittery duds.
"That's how gentle Montecore's grip was on Roy," he said.
But the real trouble started when Roy slipped to the ground.
The tiger picked the fallen magician up "like a cub" and carried him off stage, severing an artery.
Wynn's story matches that of Siegfried Fischbacher, who said the tiger was trying to protect his longtime partner when Roy went down on stage.
Fischbacher insisted the tiger was not trying to finish off Roy.
If he had wanted to kill him, Fischbacher said, "I wouldn't be here, Roy wouldn't be here."
But an animal expert scoffed at the theory.
"That was a typical killing bite," said Jonathan Kraft, who runs Keepers of the Wild, an Arizona nonprofit. "I admire the guys, I just think they are sending a wrong message.
"The message needs to be: These are wild animals."
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By JOSE MARTINEZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Blame the big-haired woman.
Casino kingpin Steve Wynn claims that Montecore - the sharp-toothed beast that feasted on flamboyant illusionist Roy Horn - was set off by the oversized 'do on a front-row spectator.
As the big cat and Roy strode onto the stage at The Mirage, Montecore dropped to all fours to check out the big hair, Wynn said, setting off the events that left one-half of Siegfried & Roy in critical condition.
"[Montecore] did a 90-degree turn and faced sideways toward the woman with the big hairdo," Wynn told Vegas television station KLAS-TV.
"For whatever reason, Montecore was fascinated and distracted by the guest sitting ringside."
Thinking it was part of the act, Wynn said, the woman tried to rub the royal white tiger.
"That's way wrong all the way around," he said.
A 'gentle' nip
When Roy stepped between the pair, Wynn said, Montecore "gently" sank his teeth into the magician's arm, not even leaving so much as a scratch or a tear in his glittery duds.
"That's how gentle Montecore's grip was on Roy," he said.
But the real trouble started when Roy slipped to the ground.
The tiger picked the fallen magician up "like a cub" and carried him off stage, severing an artery.
Wynn's story matches that of Siegfried Fischbacher, who said the tiger was trying to protect his longtime partner when Roy went down on stage.
Fischbacher insisted the tiger was not trying to finish off Roy.
If he had wanted to kill him, Fischbacher said, "I wouldn't be here, Roy wouldn't be here."
But an animal expert scoffed at the theory.
"That was a typical killing bite," said Jonathan Kraft, who runs Keepers of the Wild, an Arizona nonprofit. "I admire the guys, I just think they are sending a wrong message.
"The message needs to be: These are wild animals."
- linda 10-10-2003 6:51 pm