White tiger suffocated by mate in outdoor habitat

Friday, Jan. 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

"On behalf of Siegfried and Roy and the entire Mirage family we are deeply saddened by this event," a statement from the resort said.

What began as a normal encounter between Baroda and Nirvana took an unexpected and tragic turn at the Secret Garden, a $15 million habitat showcasing illusionists Siegfried and Roy's famous white tigers and lions.

Baroda clutched Nirvana and blocked her air passage about 12:45 p.m. Nirvana died by asphyxiation.

The two tigers had been living together for three or four years.

"There had never been any sign of any sort of friction between these two," said Alan Feldman, Mirage spokesman.

Baroda has been quarantined and will undergo a battery of tests, he said.

"Behavoir like this (playful) is common. That is should end up in fatal injury is very uncommon ... There would be reason to believe that it would be more prevalent in the wild," Feldman said.

The two-acre jungle setting at the Mirage Hotel features more than 40 rare and endangered animals that have been raised by Siegfried and Roy.