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Beloved magic duo Siegfried & Roy presented a new liter of one-month old lion cubs to be viewed by the public at the Secret Garden at the Mirage this month. Siegfried & Roy introduced the five young cubs to the media this week as they were officially made a part of the exhibit. Although the duo no longer performs their stage act after a serious accident involving one of the tigers in 2003, Siegfried & Roy still breed the endangered species at their home in Las Vegas and allow the public to view their tigers daily. The exhibit has proven a huge success for the hotel and the addition of these new tigers will bring in millions for the Mirage. There have also been rumors recently that the pair will return for a one-night only performance in 2009.
Almost 5 years ago, Roy Horn was seriously injured by one of his white tigers, Montecore, who supposedly attempted to drag Horn off the stage by his neck sensing that he was in danger. Horn suffered severe blood loss and a stroke due to the accident. Their famous white tiger show at the Mirage was canceled indefinitely as Roy underwent years of rehabilitation which still continues today. Siegfried and Roy have spoke publicly about the fact that they still believe Montecore was not trying to harm Roy. While being rushed to the hospital, Roy told paramedics not to harm the animal before he lost consciousness. Even after the accident Roy has maintained his love for the tigers and still trains them daily. Because Roy is unable to perform since the accident, Siegfried and Roy have been giving back to the Mirage Hotel and Casino by donating their white tigers to a special conservatory created so the public can view the tigers in a few exhibit. Siegfried and Roy visit the habitat often and make appearances for the public.
Roy recently underwent a knee surgery in Australia that was successful in helping him walk without pain. He will participate in a 5k walk for the Opportunity Village Santa Claus project in December. Siegfried and Roy are both charitable and often donate to several charities. The duo even donated a large grant to the College of Magic in Cape Town, South Africa which has helped enable disadvantaged young people to joint he college and learn about the craft of magic.
When the new tiger cubs were introduced this week, the media gathered in the garden of Siegfried and Roy’s private home. Among the cubs were two completely white tigers, two white stripped tigers, and one orange stripped tiger. The completely white tigers are the rarest and therefore the most valuable to the hotel. All of the white tigers are females while the golden tiger is male; Roy named the male tiger Svengali because he is already proving himself as the leader of the pack. However, Roy’s favorite cub was named Shacrat meaning “center core." He named her this because he said he pulls strength from her and she has helped lift his spirits during his rehabilitation. The cubs are currently averaging 15 pounds. However, they have tripled in size in the last three weeks. There is currently a contest running among local Las Vegas school children to help name the remaining cubs. The cubs will soon be on display at the Mirage at Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.
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