Montecore, the Roy Horn-mauling white tiger, will remain in his home at the Mirage Hotel, and will not be disciplined for his attack on his trainer.
And that's exactly the way Roy would want it to be.
Immediately following the October 3 attack on the illusionist, one half of Vegas fixture Siegfried & Roy, Horn reportedly pleaded that the tiger not be harmed, even as he lay bleeding backstage. On the way to the hospital, Horn was still singing the tiger's praises, according to his manager, Bernie Yuman.
"In the ambulance, he also said, 'Montecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Montecore,' " Yuman said on CNN's Larry King Live.
Montecore has spent the days since the attack in quarantine, while officials made sure his Cujo-like behavior wasn't due to rabies.
On Tuesday morning, the 600-pound, seven-year-old tiger headed back to the Secret Garden, his home at the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas said.
The same can't be said for Roy, who, despite improvements called "miraculous" by his doctors, is still in critical condition after suffering massive blood loss, a stroke and three surgeries.
He's able to communicate with Siegfried through hand signals, and can give the "thumbs-up" sign. His favorite dog is by his side in the hospital.
Siegfried is optimistic about his long-term companion's prognosis. The show at the Mirage is closed permanently, but Siegfried has faith that his and Roy's partnership will continue.
"Siegfried & Roy is still Siegfried & Roy," he told CNN's Larry King. "And of course, this accident changed a little bit our life. But we going to take a different path, I'm sure...the show is our life."
The question still on everyone's mind is: What caused the usually mellow Montecore to lose his cool?
Siegfried & Roy buddy Steve Wynn told People that Siegfried believes that Montecore was bothered by a woman seated in the front row with a freakishly large hairdo.
Roy tried to get Montecore to focus, and the tiger growled at him. Roy told the tiger "no," and bopped him on the nose with his microphone. Montecore responded by grabbing Roy's sleeve in his mouth. According to audience members, Roy then stumbled and fell back, at which point Montecore went for the kill.
Or maybe not. Siegfried believes the cat was trying to help Roy, protecting him from danger after he fell.
"If the animal would attack Roy, Roy would be no more after that. 10 seconds," Siegfried said on CNN, in defense of the tiger. Animal experts have disputed that claim, and animal-rights group PETA has called on the duo to retire their big cats.
Montecore dragged Roy offstage, where stagehands were able to subdue the tiger by spraying him in the face with fire extinguishers, and he ran off into his cage.
In 44 years and 30,000 performances as Siegfried & Roy, this was the first time either magician had been attacked onstage.
Roy is the Doctor Dolittle of the two, while Siegfried focuses more on the actual illusions.
The two met aboard a cruise ship in 1959. Roy was a bellboy, traveling with a cheetah he had stolen from a German zoo. Siegfried was a steward, who performed magic tricks for the ship's passengers on the side. A partnership was born.
The duo has been performing at the Mirage since 1990. They signed a lifetime contract in 2001. The show was one of the most popular in Las Vegas, bringing in about $44 million in annual revenue for the casino.
Still in the works is an animated series about the duo and their big kitties, courtesy of DreamWorks. Father of the Pride is set to debut on NBC in September 2004.