From the Archives: Beware of Leo the Lion
- Share via
Leo, along with several other large cats, lived at the Las Vegas home of Siegried and Roy. The portrait, by Los Angeles Times staff photographer John Malmin, accompanied a profile on the longtime Vegas duo by staff writer Charles Hillinger that began:
LAS VEGAS -- Residents of a quiet neighborhood in this gambling capital are awakened every morning by a bloodcurdling roar.
No one gets uptight. It’s only Leo.
Leo, a 650-pound, 5-year-old lion, is one of five large cats living at the home of Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn.
The other animals are Sarah, a rare Siberian tiger; Radscha, a Bengal tiger; Sabu, a black panther; and Sasha, an African leopard.
Signs on gates leading to Fischbacher and Horn’s backyard warn:’Beware of Dog.”
The two men have no dogs -- just the lion, tigers, leopard and panther.
“The signs are for the burglars,” laughed Horn, adding:
“We’re lucky. No one has tried to break into our place yet.”Lucky for the burglars. They’d never come out alive if they tried. …
The popular Siegfried and Roy Las Vegas act continued until 2003, when Roy Horn was seriously injured by a tiger. The pair returned for a final performance in March 2009.
This post was originally published on Jan. 4, 2011.
