Las Vegas performers Siegfried and Roy, known for their daring and captivating big cat shows, saw performances come to a halt in 2003 after performer Roy Horn was attacked by one of the animal performers, a 400 lb (180kg) tiger called Montecore.
The official reason for the show’s shutdown was that Horn suffered a stroke while performing and Montecore responded in an attempt to protect Horn, but an animal trainer involved with their final performance has come forward with new information.
After a 15 year battle with PTSD, Chris Lawrence spoke out in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter to set the record straight as a new biopic about the attack was announced.
Chris Lawrence, a trainer who specifically worked with Montecore the tiger, claims that the attack was due to Horn’s own negligence. While the official story claims that Horn suffered a stroke, the truth, according to Lawrence, is that Horn failed to spend enough time and bond with the performing animals before the show.
“Many of the handlers thought that Roy was treating the cats more like props than he was respecting them for who they were,” Lawrence explains, in his THR interview. “That can only work as long as there are no variables, which is impossible considering that you’re dealing with a living, thinking animal. I am positive that Roy’s diminishing relationship with Montecore was a key factor in the attack.”
Lawrence claims the attack was triggered was triggered by Horn changing the routine from his usual movements to a new unpracticed motion, placing the tiger at Horn’s midsection.
Lawrence claims that as the tiger moved to attack, he responded by pulling the big cat by the nape of its neck, but Horn still sustained life-altering injuries to his brain and windpipe. Montecore the tiger was cleared of all responsibility and later returned to performing. It died in 2014.
Lawrence is coming forward with these claims now as he’s factually concerned with the accuracy of the biopic and frustrated with the USDA’s lack of thorough investigation, who supervises the care of performance animals. He is also coming forward for himself, as he has suffered from PTSD, alcoholism, and suicidal thoughts since witnessing the attack.
“It’s been 15 years, but I live it every day and every night,” says Lawrence. “It’ll never leave me.
