Meow-ving out: Siegfried & Roy’s big cats leaving The Mirage

Las Vegas Review-Journal

1 year ago

Indira the Snow White Bengal Tiger at the Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat a ... — Indira the Snow White Bengal Tiger at the Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage in Las Vegas on Monday, April 17, 2017. (Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @EliPagePhoto

Tiger cubs Maharani and Hirah celebrated their first birthday at Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden at The Mirage in Las Vegas. (The Mirage)

Siegfried Fischbacher, left, stands next to his show business partner Roy Horn as they introducing several tiger cubs to members of the media during a press conference at the home on Thursday, June 12, 2008, in Las Vegas. The pair performed under the iconic moniker Siegfried & Roy, wowing audiences for decades on the Las Vegas Strip with their big cat illusionist act. A tiger attack in October 2003 ended the act, nearly killing Roy and left him partially disabled. (John Gurzinski/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The last of Siegfried & Roy’s beloved exotic cats at The Secret Garden at The Mirage are finally moving out.

The Mirage announced Monday that two sanctuaries — WildCat Ridge Sanctuary in Scotts Mills, Oregon, and In-Sync Exotics in Wylie, Texas — have been selected as the new forever homes for approximately a dozen big cats from the iconic duo, according to a Mirage spokesperson.

The sanctuaries were selected due to their “deep experience” in providing long-term care for exotic cats, along with their “experienced animal care teams and excellent facilities,” according to a release from The Mirage.

Joe Lupo, president of The Mirage, said in the release that he is confident the sanctuaries will continue to honor the “remarkable dedication and legacy” of caring for the animals that Siegfried & Roy had over their 60-year career.

“Our team is confident that Siegfried & Roy’s big cats will continue to receive quality care in their new homes,” Lupo said.

The cats’ move is part of The Mirage’s continued effort to relocate animals living at The Secret Garden habitat after its permanent closure in November 2022 before the Hard Rock International purchased the resort from MGM Resorts International in December.

The exhibit closed in September 2022 after the death of K2, a bottlenose dolphin living in the exhibit. Six dolphins have been relocated from the animal exhibit this year.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) celebrated the decision to move the cats into sanctuaries that are verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.

“What happens in Vegas shouldn’t always stay in Vegas, and that’s certainly the case for the tigers at the Secret Garden, who have now left Sin City for spacious new sanctuary homes in Oregon and Texas,” said Debbie Metzler, PETA foundation director of captive animal welfare, in a statement. “Kind tourists today won’t go anywhere near cruel and archaic animal acts like those from Siegfried & Roy, and these dangerous spectacles have all but done a disappearing act from the Strip.”

The Siegfried & Roy Estate has decided to keep specifics about the animals and when they are moving private, according to an estate spokesperson.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tmflane on Twitter.