LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After more than 30 years as an attraction at The Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage, exotic cats once owned by the longtime Las Vegas performers will soon have a new home.
The closure of Siegfriend & Roy's secret garden was announced as part of the transition of The Mirage to new ownership under Hard Rock International.
The cats will be moved to two sanctuaries in Oregon and Texas after "an extensive search process," a representative stated in a news release on Monday.
"The facilities chosen for the cats’ forever homes demonstrated the ability to continue the same quality of care with thoughtful attentiveness to the well-being of Siegfried & Roy’s animal family as they have received at The Secret Garden," the spokesperson stated.
WildCat Ridge Sanctuary in Scotts Mills, Oregon and In-Sync Exotics in Wylie, Texas will now house the cats.
“WildCat Ridge Sanctuary and In-Sync Exotics have excellent care teams and facilities with the qualities that honor the remarkable dedication and legacy that Siegfried & Roy demonstrated over their 60-year career,” said Joe Lupo, president of The Mirage Las Vegas. “Our team is confident that Siegfried & Roy’s big cats will continue to receive quality care in their new homes.”
PETA, short for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals," provided a statement in light of the relocation announcement.
"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. 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," said Debbie Metzler, PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare.
PETA officials said they have been making appeals to Mirage's owner, Hard Rock International.
