Cover Up Exposed? Siegfried & Roy's Tiger Trainer Blames Horn For Being Viciously Attacked
April 1 2019, Updated 3:19 p.m. ET
Chris Lawrence, the trainer who tried to rescue famed Las Vegas entertainer Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy after he was attacked by a tiger, has broken his silence with a bombshell claim that the entertainer was to blame.
In the horrifying 2003 incident, Horn was mauled by a white tiger during the magical duo's live Sin City show-- in front of more than a thousand fans.
Lawrence heroically tried to drag Horn away from the big cat.
The showman, now 74, nearly died and was left partially paralyzed after the attack by the tiger named Montecore.
The tiger trainer has contended that Horn had confused and irritated Montecore with a new routine—then made it worse.
"I think his actions in trying to possibly save the routine or rectify the situation actually ended up complicating it," Lawrence said.
Lawrence told The Hollywood Reporter about beloved Siegfried & Roy, "They didn't like making mistakes and never owned them in front of an audience… Instead of walking Montecore in a circle, as is usually done, Horn just used his arm to steer him right back into his body."
But the duo, who ended their Vegas show after the attack, have insisted that Horn suffered a mini-stroke onstage and Montecore was simply trying to drag his master to safety.
Lawrence is upset that the USDA didn't take his testimony during its investigation of the attack, and wants people to know his version of the shocking moment.
The tiger died of natural causes in 2014, not long after Entertainment Tonight reported that forgiving Horn had been seen feeding Montecore.
Siegfried Fischbacher told Larry King that his brave partner Horn never blamed the animal and made sure no harm came to him after the attack.
Lawrence, who had been working for Siegfried and Roy for 11 years before the attack, told the Today show that he himself has been left scarred for life and suffering from PTSD.
Lawrence said to HR that he's been forever changed by the shocking stage terror: "Roy bears the physical wound from the attack. But Roy's not the only one that suffers from that night."
He said of how he tried to rescue Horn, "I remember vividly thinking, 'Here he (Montecore) comes…' There was no telling me he wasn't coming for me too."
The tiger dragged Horn offstage by the neck as Lawrence attempted to pull Motecore back by the furry nape of his neck.
The showmen haven't yet commented on Lawrence's claims.
Fischbacher, now 79, has spent the years since the attack caring for his friend and former lover Horn at their estate in Vegas.
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"Roy rarely leaves their compound," a source told Radar. "He relies on his nurse for almost everything."
Siegfried & Roy recently announced a movie will be made about their lives.
