Former lion trainer says Siegfried & Roy's 2003 attack didn't happen as said

It was a career-ending attack; A white tiger mangled magician Roy Horn, half of the duo Siegfried & Roy, on a Las Vegas stage in front of 1,500 fans in 2003.

Now, almost 16 years later, one of the handlers for the show says it wasn't the tiger at fault for the mauling, but Horn himself, USA Today reported.

Chris Lawrence, who worked with Horn and his partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, on the show, told NBC News and The Hollywood Reporter that Horn was to blame for the attack.

The official story was Horn suffered a stroke and the tiger reacted to the health issue and tried to protect Horn, USA Today reported.

The show and subsequent attack happened on Oct. 3, 2003, which was Horn's 59th birthday, USA Today reported.

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Lawrence said that story was not true.

The tiger, Montecore, a 400-pound, 7-foot long white tiger, attacked because Horn had not been spending as much time with the supposed tamed animals before the shows, Lawrence alleges, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Lawrence claims Horn was not giving them their expected raw meat and talking with the large cats before performances like he had done in the past.

"Many of the handlers thought that Roy was treating the cats more like props than he was respecting them for who they were," Lawrence told The Hollywood Reporter. "They can only work as long as there are no variables, which is impossible considering that you're dealing with a living, thinking animal. I am positive that Roy's diminishing relationship with Montecore was a key factor in the attack."

Lawrence has been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse after the attack. He said he was the one to tell Horn to use Montecore, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Horn, now 74, had to undergo multiple surgeries because of the attack. He still has difficulty walking and talking, USA Today reported.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which investigated the attack and published a report in 2005, said the physical impairments are because of a crushed windpipe and damage to an artery to Horn's brain, CBS News reported when the report was released.

The show never resumed after the attack, USA Today reported.

NBC News reached out to Fischbacher and horn, but they did not respond.

As for Montecore, the tiger died in 2014, USA Today reported.

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