"As magicians, we weave our magic with the ones from nature. As entertainers, we create fantasies, awe, wonderment, and dreams of the child within us all. As illusionists, we make that which has disappeared, reappear. Yet when an exotic and beautiful animal species disappears from the planet, there is nothing to be done. The miracle of that unique and wonderful animal is lost forever."
-Siegfried & Roy

Masters of the Impossible
It was once thought that the white tigers native to India were extinct, so when the Maharaja of Rewa found a cub, it was nothing short of a miracle. With that miracle in hand, the magicians Siegfried and Roy began to attempt the impossible, to save the species of that miraculous animal. In the 1980's they founded a breeding program with the Zoological Society of Cincinnati, and a program that began with two striped white tigers and a snow white tiger cub has grown to include over forty animals!

With that wonderful outcome, they knew it was possible to do more. This time it was with a different species, the White Lions of Timbavati. In 1994, in association with the Johannesburg Zoological Garden in South Africa, they began a breeding program to attempt to repopulate the species. So far there are eleven members of that pride.

On the Big Screen
Siegfried and Roy have become international magic icons. Their show at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas is a must-see for tourists. Now their show and their lives are making their way to the big screen…the really big screen. Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box will be opening in IMAX theaters around the world in October of this year. The movie was filmed in 3-D and will be seen on screens that average six blocks high and eight blocks wide. Academy Award Winner Sir Anthony Hopkins narrates it.

The film follows Siegfried and Roy from early childhood until they met, up to their present success. It also incorporates parts of their magic show. Both natives of postwar Germany, they have grown up to become that country's largest export. Born Siegfried Fischbacher in Rosenheim, Germany, Siegfried was destined from the beginning. As a child he becomes enamored with the world of magic and yearns to become a magician. With a five-mark bill that he finds in an alley, he purchases the book of magic he had long been wanting.

Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn grew up a recluse. His only true companion was Hexe, half dog and half wolf. When Roy falls into a pit of quicksand, it is Hexe who goes and gets help, and saves Roy's life. Since then, his bond with the animal kingdom has been unbreakable. He sought the company of other animals with whom he felt a connection, and went to the Breman Zoo, where he spent months talking to and working with a cheetah. Roy soon became bored with his life and small town and wanted a change, so he decided to leave school and work as a waiter on an ocean liner that tours the world. Siegfried had escaped onto the boat as a steward, and when the captain learns of his incredible talent as an illusionist, Siegfried becomes the ship's magician. The two meet and become inseparable friends.

Eventually Roy becomes Siegfried's assistant. Roy had stolen the Cheetah Chico and smuggled him onboard, and he convinced Siegfried to work him into the disappearing act. Although the audience adores the trick, the captain is somewhat upset and fires them both. Fortunately, the president of the cruise line hires them for his Caribbean cruises. After touring around Europe for five years, they are discovered in Monte Carlo by a representative of the Follies Bergiere who asks them to go to Las Vegas. They say yes, and the rest is Magic History.

Their careers have spanned over 25 years. They have broken attendance records everywhere they play, including Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where they set an all-time attendance record. In Japan their 1988 tour set an all-time box office record for the most successful live entertainment engagement in the history of the country. They began their show at the Mirage Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas in February of 1990 where they have played to over 30 million people.

They created the Secret Garden at the Mirage that serves as a haven for rare and exotic animals. Their home was featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous as one of the ten best homes ever featured on the program. Full of mystic themes, it is more like a magician's lair than a home.

Living Miracles
They work with a cast of lions and tigers, many of whom they were responsible for breeding. The Royal White Tigers of Nevada are named Sitarra, Akbar-Kabul, Mirage, Mantra, Johan, Neva, Shasadee, Nevada, Sieg-Roy, Vegas, Christmas, Nickolei, Noele, Fuji, Tokyo, Osaka, Red, White, Blue, Samsara, Mahatma, Orissa, Mantacore, and She-Ra. The White Lions of Timbavati are Sarmoti, Shaka, Secret, Mystery, Hope, Pride, Joy, Destiny, Vision, Quest, Passion, Prosperity, Future, and Sunshine.

Siegfried and Roy are more than spectacular entertainers; they are humane and caring individuals who are attempting to preserve animals for future generations to come. Let us learn form their example and do the same.

"When any animal vanishes from the earth, all of us are diminished. We are all stewards to a precious legacy of life and beauty, and we all have so much to learn about the wondrous animals with which we share this planet. It is our deepest hope and desire that you share our amazement in the face of these living miracles…and that you will answer the call to conservation in your own special way."
-Siegfried & Roy

-Kareem Tabsch is a freelance writer who specializes in celebrity interviews. He has interviewed celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, Julio Iglesias, Barbara Mandrell and others. He writes frequently on animal related issues as well as on the entertainment industry.