Roy’s tiger freed from isolation

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

The 600-pound white tiger that attacked Roy Horn during the "Siegfried & Roy" show was released from isolation Monday night and was expected to be returned to an area with its mother and other tigers at The Mirage.

The tiger, named Montecore, was kept by itself for 10 days to ensure it didn't have rabies, a standard procedure when an animal bites someone. Animal control officers were visited the Mirage, where Montecore has been in isolation, about 7:30 p.m. Monday and certified he was free from rabies, county spokeswoman Stacy Welling said.

"He was healthy," she said. An animal bite report from Clark County Animal Control confirmed Montecore's health appeared normal.

The resort plans to keep Montecore in the Secret Garden, an animal habitat at the Mirage, away from public view for the moment, Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said.

Montecore was to join the other tigers at the Secret Garden once he was released from isolation, David Kirvin, spokesman for Siegfried & Roy, said. He will be in the habitat behind the Secret Garden, away from public view, Kirvin said. At some point he will be on display, but no timeline has been set.

The 7-year-old animal clamped its jaws around 59-year-old Horn's neck during an Oct. 3 performance. Horn required surgery for a crushed windpipe and suffered a stroke while being treated. Although he remains in critical but stable condition at University Medical Center, Horn has been taken off a respirator is now breathing on his own, officials have said.

The Mirage has a videotape of the tiger attack, and Feldman said the resort will make the tape available to U.S. Agriculture Department investigators.

The extent of Horn's injuries forced the closure of "Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage" after a 13 1/2-year run; 267 jobs were eliminated, though some people who had worked for the show were moved into other jobs with MGM MIRAGE.

The company plans to hold a job fair exclusively for Siegfried & Roy workers, Feldman said.

About 10 people who worked for the Danny Gans show were laid off to open up their jobs for Siegfried & Roy workers who had more seniority, Feldman said.

Additional help appears to be on the way for workers displaced by the Siegfried & Roy closure.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 720, based in Southern California, announced Monday that it will hold a day of open enrollment to try to assist the displaced workers, President Thomas C. Short said.

Local 720 represents stagehands, wardrobe people, audiovisual technicians, ushers and box office personnel in Las Vegas.

Short said that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman had requested the union's help.

The date for open enrollment has not been set, Short said. Union representatives will first consult with employees, he said.

Of the 267 workers, 65 were dancers and entertainers employed by Feld Entertainment, not MGM MIRAGE. Of the 202 MGM MIRAGE employees, 68 bartenders and servers are covered under union contracts. The remaining 134 are non-union backstage crew members, including security guards and animal trainers, Feldman said.

MGM MIRAGE workers who have been with the show for 60 or more days will receive any accrued vacation time and two weeks' pay, Feldman said. They also have recall rights if the hotel should need more workers for six months.

Employees who have been with the show more than a year will receive from one to six months severance pay, depending on seniority, Feldman said.