Illusionist Roy responds to voices after tiger attack

ROY HORN, one half of American illusionist team Siegfried and Roy, was on a ventilator, heavily medicated but able to respond to voices and touch after being attacked by one of his tigers during a show.

Mr Horn underwent surgery late on Friday in a Las Vegas hospital after suffering an injury to the left side of his neck when the tiger bit him and dragged him off stage. “We are guardedly optimistic,” MGM Mirage Resort official Bobby Baldwin said. “We are pleased the news isn’t worse than it is.”

Hospital officials would not provide any more information and the mood was sombre among the host of Las Vegas notables.

Mr Horn and longtime partner Siegfried Fischbacher have been a Las Vegas Strip staple for years. The shows are among the best known and most expensive on the strip.