Should Magicians Still be Using Animals for Magic?
Investigating the history of animals in magic
In December 1996, magician Roy Horn flew from Las Vegas to Guadalajara to visit Mexico’s largest zoo. His team made lengthy negotiations so he could purchase tiger cubs for his show in Vegas.
While Horn was there, a snow-white tiger went into labor. The first two cubs arrived without issue, but the third was struggling. Horn wasted no time: he immediately rushed to assist the mother tiger. When the cub stopped breathing, he even performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until it revived.
He named the newborn Mantecore.
Seven years later, Roy Horn was on stage performing for a crowd of 1,500 people at The Mirage Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. He had performed over thirty thousand shows for fifty million people as part of the world-famous duo Siegfried & Roy. But that night felt special—it was Horn’s 59th birthday.
The crowd was buzzing.
What happened next was a tragedy. At one point in the show, a tiger attacked Horn and dragged him backstage by the neck. Blood was everywhere. Animal trainers rushed in and managed to free Horn, who then underwent extensive surgery. The injuries left him partially paralyzed and ended the duo’s performing career.
No third party can confirm if the story of Mantecore’s birth is true—only Horn recounted it. But what the tiger did to Horn on stage in 2003 is something the entire world knows took place.
That tiger was Mantecore, named after a legendary creature from Persian mythology whose name, in ancient Persian, means “man-eater.”
The Question
Should magicians still be using animals in their shows? When One Ahead reached out to me with the question, I was intrigued. As a magician who creates and performs card tricks, I’ve never entertained the idea of using a breathing thing in my tricks (except for breather crimps—those I do). That was a terrible joke; I’m sorry.
Anyway. Besides being a magician, I’m also a professional journalist. The goal of this article is to use the tools of journalism to explore the subject of animals in magic to then reflect on it as a magician. We’ll delve into the recent history of using animals in magic, notable examples, and tackle the big question of what the future holds.
Let me tell you—you don’t need to know how to produce doves or train tigers to read this. In fact, it’s even better if you have no prior knowledge. Approaching this topic with few preconceived notions can be refreshing, and I’m glad I had the chance to explore it firsthand.
A Goose For Khufu
Ancient Egypt must have been an extraordinary time to live in. Long before rabbits and doves became staples of magic, the very first documented magic trick involving an animal comes from Egypt. In fact, it’s the earliest recorded magic trick of any kind. The magician’s name was Djedi, and his story is told in the Westcar Papyrus, dated to 1650 BC.
Although likely fictional, Djedi’s story is presented as true. He was invited to the court of Emperor Khufu for his renowned abilities. At the time, Djedi claimed to be 110 years old.
Djedi performed a few tricks for the emperor. The first routine involved a goose, whose head was cut off and then magically reattached, bringing the goose back to life. Djedi performed the same routine with a bird and a bull, and then moved on to mentalism feats and predictions of the future.
