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I don’t get no “no’s.”Well, OK, maybe a few.But the push for many “yes” answers may not be a good idea. I’ll explain in a moment.But first, let me tell you about my business, so you may adapt my methods to your own.My partner and I operate a hobby train show which is held 4 times a year. It is the largest in the Mid-Atlantic, occupying 3.5 acres. We have 2 kinds of customers:The vendors, to whom we rent tables or space, andThe public, who pays to enter the show.My answer will be limited to the solicitation of vendors; this is where salesmanship really counts. The public pays a few bucks to get in, the dealers pay hundreds. Furthermore, I’ll focus on those dealers who have never been to our show, or who have not been to it for many years.The “yes” or “no” questions should be limited, at first to prospect qualification, even if you know (or think you know) the answer. In my business, most of the initial contact is “cold.” A phone call, or I find a dealer at another show (where I go looking for them). Here is the opening to a typical phone solicitation:Dlr: Grant’s Hobby Shop!Me: This is John Geare at the Great Scale Model Train Show. I’m trying to reach Bill Grant.Dlr: You got ‘im. How can I help? (He is a bit uneasy -suspecting another damned solicitation!).Me: Thanks, Bill. I’m calling to ask if you ever sell at train shows, and what I can do to drag you, kicking and screaming, to be an exhibitor at OUR show. So, do you ever sell at shows?Dlr: Yeah, sometimes. (That’s a “yes.”) Who are you with, again?Me: The Great Scale Model Train Show—Dlr: (Cuts me off). Is that the one near Baltimore?Me: It is. Many people call it the “Timonium Show” because it has been held there for over 30 years. (That’s a “yes,” too, even though Bill is asking ME.) You obviously know about it, right?Dlr: Yeah, I’ve heard about it. (Another “yes”). And what’s your name, again?Me: I am John Geare. My partner Mike and I bought the shows about 4 years ago. They were previously owned by Hank Arnold, who had actually started the shows. You might remember his name.Dlr: Yeah, I knew Hank. (Another “yes.”)Me: So, did you ever come to the show? I don’t see your name on the vendor list Hank gave me, but the list may be incomplete.Dlr: No, I never was there. It’s pretty far. I’m just south of Pittsburgh. (That’s a “no.” And an important one).Me: Yeah, it is. Other dealers who come from your area are always debating about the best route. Turnpike to I-83, or 30 to Breezewood, then 70 to the Baltimore Beltway. (Another “yes” by me.)Dlr: I would use 30 to skip the tolls on the Turnpike. Might take longer, but would be cheaper.Me: I would probably do the same, but travel when traffic is lightest. (Implied “yes” by me). So, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?Dlr: No, shoot. (The “no” is actually a “yes.”)Me: Thanks. OK, from what I see in your advertisements and your web site, you guys have been in business for, what? 25 years, give or take?Dlr: Well, 22 years, actually. I bought the shop from a friend of my father’s. Not sure it was the right move. (That’s a “yes.”)Me: I’ve heard that, a lot. (The agreement is an implied “yes.”) And you do specialize in model railroading, right?Dlr: We do, but kids want RC cars and planes, so we have had to expand our product lines for those things, too. (Another “yes.”) But I grew up with trains, so that’s my first love.Me: I totally get it. (Which is a “yes”) Almost everyone has had to do this. OK, I have a special reason for calling you. Are you sitting down?You should note from the above dialog, which faithfully reflects a recent conversation, that the objective here, is NOT to accumulate a bag full of “yes” answers, but rather to establish some common ground; it is agreement that is important. And if agreement is just not possible, then for heaven’s sake, get off the phone (politely). Thus the opening conversation serves to qualify the prospect, BEFORE any attempt to “sell” them.The one “NO” answer above refers to failed attendance on account of distance. That is an objection which may be overcome if the perceived benefit of exhibiting is greater than the perceived inconvenience of travel. But don’t attempt to meet the objection NOW; instead, dignify it and be sympathetic with it, but stay on track with the conversation as it has developed thus far. NOTE that, after having acknowledged the travel distance problem, I immediately switched the focus elsewhere.Now, to the question (how many no’s and yes’s): Forget all that nonsense. It doesn’t matter. Your first job is to establish whether your prospective customer is qualified to be an actual customer. That is, are there enough intersections of mutual interest to support your making a “pitch?” If so, make the pitch; if not, then retire.Anything which is designed for the purpose of producing a “yes” answer on irrelevant questions will fail because it will be immediately identified as baloney. Examples: “Would you like more sales?” (Yes, of course). “Do you want more profit?” (Yes). “Would you like to reduce your costs?” (Uh, yeah).That is, any question to which the only logical answer is “yes” will fail. The question facially appears to give a choice, but really does not. And the whole idea of building up a stack of “yes” answers is corrupt, stupid and dishonest.Don’t do it.

I am not proud of the decision I made and it definitely changed my life. And unlike many of these stories with a happy ending, my decision was not for the better. It’s a long story though, taking place over many years after the split-second decision. Perhaps some readers will find it valuable.When I was laid off from my corporate sales executive position in 2002, I bought a franchise selling tangible marketing products to small businesses. You would recognize the name for sure. I started my location of the company from nothing in 2002. Site location, build out, equipment purchase, P&L responsibility, signage, marketing, training, etc.My wife of 17 years passed away suddenly in 2003. I threw myself into the business. I was having a ball and working hard. Which kept grieving at bay.It wasn’t until 2004 that the business turned profitable, as I finally got the right team working for me and leased the necessary production equipment.That was also the year I met my dream girlfriend. Life was good. Lots of travel to places I had only dreamed of visiting. Wine clubs, great restaurants, weekends away. Long walks on the beach. She planned everything. I just had to go along. And pay for most of it.In 2005, my mother gave me my inheritance early and I bought a beautiful downtown condo. A tri-level loft with a roof deck. 18 foot ceilings. Skylights. Granite counters. Hardwood floors. City views. New SUV car. New TV. Sonos. Designer furniture. And moved my girl friend in to live with me. Who wanted to take a year off to write a book.She decorated the home handsomely. Could have been in a magazine. And I stupidly put her name on the title. But that wasn’t the split second decision that went bad.In 2007, I was talking to a friend who tipped me off that his company had a big re-branding job to get done in a short period of time. Told me who to call about the job. The timing was perfect. I didn’t have the capacity to take on such a large project, but I knew who did from my attendance at the annual franchisee show.I got the specs from the company, got a bid from the sub-contractor, marked it up and bid the job. And won. $165,000 contract. Fixed. On a handshake. No purchase order, No contract. The largest job ever. I got $80,000 down payment overnight, which went 100% to the vendor. We had only two weeks to complete the job.Well, my sub got the job done with his crew and his equipment. On time. Neither my staff nor myself had any part in the fulfillment of the job.I realized after the job was done that I had underbid the job. By a lot. The freight alone was $7,000, unbudgeted. I didn’t have enough money left to pay the $12,000 in state sales tax or $9,000 in royalty to the franchisor. If I didn’t pay those two items, I would make about $4,000 profit on the $165,000 job. Which by this point I mistakenly viewed as a finder’s fee.I was all alone in my store. And in a split second, I made the worst decision of my entire life.I decided to process the final invoice to the client outside of the Point of Sale system. The system that electronically reported sales on a daily basis to the franchisor. I could create a manual invoice in Photoshop.After all, who would ever know. What was the worst that could ever happen. In the unlikely event I was caught, I could just pay whatever I owed and apologize for my oversight.I never bought ten cents worth of materials for this job. My staff never touched it or even knew much about it. The sub-contractor did all the work off site at the customer’s location. The only proof were two large checks of $80,000+ that were deposited into my business checking account.So I presented the “fake” invoice for payment and was paid quickly by my client. They were very happy with the final product and ecstatic at the low price.It was fall of 2007. I forgot all about it, having learned some valuable lessons about fixed contracts and sub-contractor markups. I never spoke a word to anyone about this job.In January of 2008, the franchisor held their annual franchisee convention and vendor fair. While I have no proof, I have surmised that the vendor that was my subcontractor was an exhibitor at the trade show and bragged to the franchisor about just how well their relationship with the franchisees was working out. And obviously mentioned the $165,000 job they had done for me in 2007.Well, this was all news to the franchisor, since I had never reported the sale.In March of 2008, an employee of the franchisor shows up at my office before opening. He goes right to the POS system and starts copying data. He would not tell me what was going on, but I knew. The following week, an auditor was flown out from NY to spend a few days going over all my books, bank statements, purchase orders, etc.Of course he found nothing, EXCEPT TWO $80,000+ deposits to my corporate business checking account.That led to the franchisors decision to terminate my franchise agreement for failure to report sales and pay royalties on the gross. I tried fighting back with lawyers, trying to get them to arbitrate the dispute as called for in the franchise agreement. I bought some time with restraining orders. I spent $60,000 on lawyers. They spent $90,000. I finally caitulated.They would hear nothing of my remaining a franchisee. I was branded a cheater and I needed to go.It didn’t help that I challenged the CEO on his lack of an Internet strategy and got myself elected to the Franchisee Advisory Board to represent other owners. All the better for the franchisor to make an example of me to the other owners.According to the CEO Larry, not only would I pay the royalties, I would also pay all the costs of the audit, and I was required to sell my business within 90 days. $8,000 penalty for every month after 3 months that I remained in possession.It was 2008. The beginnings of the Bush recession. 400,000 jobs a month were evaporating. There was no work as an employee anywhere. Layoffs were the order of the day. It seemed every company was cutting staff.I found a buyer who was a mid-level executive who had been offered a buyout by his employer. He bought my business. I carried back the note. The 4 employees I hired still work for him. Plus 3 more he hired since. Plus he bought two more locations. Obviously, he is enjoying the success that my business afforded.I never recovered. Still haven’t 8 years later. I bought another business in 2009 but hired the wrong person to do the due diligence. I bought a business represented as profitable that was bleeding cash. December 1sr 2009, I couldn’t make payroll and had to fire everyone and shut down the second business. No income. $10,000 a month living expenses.I had to sell everything. The house, the furniture, the electronics, my bike, vinyl record collection, etc. Gave away my art and books.My mom passed away at age 98 in December 2009. I have no living relatives. I last saw her at the assisted living facility for Thanksgiving 2009. I knew that the following week, I was closing the business. As I was pushing her wheelchair back to her room, she asked me “How is the business going?” I lied and told her that we had just landed a big job (which was true) but left out all the rest. She wondered if we still had our condo. I assured her we did, which was also true, except I knew I would soon have to sell it. Her last words to me were “Somehow, I just don’t believe you.” Two and a half weeks later, she was gone. Thank goodness she didn’t live to see the disaster that followed.My then GF and I decided to move to Europe to wait out the recession. Put the house on the market and found a buyer. It’s worth today about $700,000 more than what I sold it for in a fire sale. Closing was April 6, 2010.We packed up the house to ship but were fighting constantly. We had not been intimate in over three months. Since she was a returning EU citizen, everything we owned that we were keeping went in her shipping container to avoid import taxes. I used sabings topayoff her car loan so “we could have a car in Europe.” Three days after I gave her half the proceeds of the house sale, we had a huge fight at a nice hotel and broke up.She told me the only mistake she made in our 6 year relationship was believing in me. The next day she left alone for NY to help her mother move to Europe too. I spent the night in a cheap motel.I drove my car to the airport a week later in April 2010 and left America with two suitcases, a laptop, and a cell phone. I called the bank and told them where at the airport parking lot I had parked my car so they could repossess it.I met up a few times in Europe with my now separated girlfriend. We lived in the same city. But we were never a couple again. By October of that year, she sent me an e-mail telling me that the separation was now permanent. And then refused all contact. And kept most of the stuff. Even blocked me from LinkedIn. Have had zero contact since. So never got to say goodbye or get any closure.I never felt so alone than I did that day. But I survived, made some new friends, tried to learn the language, and lived as an illegal alien in a European country for two years, living off the proceeds of the house sale, the carryback note, and social security. I returned to America in 2012 when the money was running out.Living in Europe like a native for two years without working was the one good thing that came from such a huge split-second bad decision. For that gift, I am grateful. I now have friends from around the world. Plus a lot of knowledge about owning stuff, and trusting people.I learned my ex was a narcissist with no empathy, incapable of real love. There is no cure for her condition but she has gone on to greater success. She is beautiful, charming, intelligent, stylish, and talented. 14 years my junior. Sadly no one who might be interested in me measures up to the good parts of her. I can’t trust people anymore anyway.I have forgiven my ex, not for her benefit but my own. But I have yet to forgive myself. Working on it.I am 67 now, soon to be 68. Unemployable except as an Uber driver. Will probably retire and move to South America alone next year and try to do the kind of world traveling I should have done at age 20. The cost of living there is very low, the weather is perfect and the natives friendly and welcoming. I will be considered somewhat upper class there due to my income, which in America is a substandard income.Still, happiness is a choice. Nothing, no person, no job, no thing will ever make me happy. Happiness is an inside job and I have had a pretty damn exciting life, which isn’t over yet.

The way this question is worded — “horrific final act” — is so appropriate, given that Siegfried and Roy have never called what happened between Roy and Mantacore onstage in 2003 an “attack.” I believe it was, and the official findings by the Department of Agriculture determined that the tiger did indeed attack Roy, but some people still have their doubts. Perhaps because investigators were unable to determine what actually provoked the cat, or it could be because the duo has continued to maintain that what occurred was a “tragic accident”.Adding to the confusion is the explanation Siegfried and Roy gave about that particular exchange between Mantacore ( yes, that is the correct spelling) and Roy — it was, to them, an “act of goodwill.” They maintain that Roy had fallen ill during the show and Mantacore, his tiger, was simply helping the performer offstage.Really? Thank God it was nothing too serious.I remember hearing the news about Siegfried and Roy; I followed the story with great interest. What Roy had experienced could possibly happen to me, so I searched our morning paper, eager to read the explanation in the days following the attack.We didn't use the term *facepalm* back in 2003, but we can safely assume that's exactly what I did once I read what came out of Las Vegas. I was shocked. I was also more than a little indignant, and I yelled at whomever would listen.Are they kidding !! The tiger was helping Roy?! Can you believe this is the story they're going with?!!To be honest, all the ass-covering and faulty speculation of what happened to Roy bothered me so much that I started doing my own investigating, poking around for details in the hopes of finding some actual insight. When finished, I had gone through a ton of reports, looked at the available photo evidence and read all the eyewitness accounts of that night at The Mirage. It all makes for a bit of a lengthy read, but I’ve incorporated my opinion as well. You are free to disagree with that.The incident itself happened in 2003 — so it's pretty old news. In May of this year there were some new developments, and now a biopic is in the works, so The Siegfried and Roy saga continues.Was there a cover up? I think there was. I never believed Siegfried and Roy, didn’t buy their explanation of that night, but neither did a lot of people, including other animal handlers I know. I wondered how someone who also worked with tigers could say such stupid things — Roy has to have known idealization was harmful.Were people expected to overlook the fact that Roy’s spine was severed, and he nearly died as a result this helpful exchange? Overlook also that Mantacore dragged Roy by the neck, all the while enraged and growling? He attacked Roy, very nearly killing him, because that is what tigers do. I’m afraid Siegfried and Roy will forever remain in denial of that.In May of 2019, Siegfried and Roy's former employee, animal trainer Chris Lawrence came forward in an effort to set the record straight. He had been told at the time to stay quiet, and to allow only Roy to describe the events of that night. For years, Lawrence lived with what he knew were lies.In his interview , Lawrence confesses that the tiger, seven-year-old Mantacore, appeared noticeably “off” that night. His weird mood, coupled with Roy's inattention, led the cat to purposefully attack Roy onstage at The Mirage.For Lawrence, as well as everyone else present, there wasn’t any question about the tiger’s motive or the seriousness of his actions — Mantacore had focused his rage only towards Roy. The cover story Siegfried and Roy had given was a travesty to Lawrence; he was genuinely shocked.Shocked? That did not surprise me.In the second half of his interview, Lawrence gives a detailed account of the attack and of his own direct involvement in trying to stop it. He was one of the lead keepers employed by the Mirage to watch over and handle the white tigers Roy used in the show. Mantacore was well-known to every one of his many keepers, particularly Lawrence.On the night of the attack it was Lawrence, watching the stage from his usual post, who was first to notice the impending trouble between his boss and Mantacore, who had been walking beside Roy on his chain.Show directors say Roy had then veered off script, stopping Mantacore in the center of the stage for a treat. According to the video of the attack, Roy is then seen holding his microphone up to Mantacore’s mouth for the tiger to say “Hi.” The cat said nothing but responded instead by biting Roy’s sleeve.The video then shows Roy attempting to free himself, hitting the tiger and shouting “Release!” Roy starts to back away, and is swatted to the floor by Mantacore, who then jumps on top of him.Lawrence was also the one who got the tiger to finally drop the showman, first by baiting the cat with food, then, when that failed, by slipping his fingers in the tiger’s mouth in what is called a “fishhook maneuver.” The maneuver did not work and Mantacore would not let go of Roy.Lawrence has said it was not until he and another trainer released the CO2 canisters that were kept on-hand that Mantacore finally released Roy, dropping him to the floor as he walked into his transport cage.After being tossed aside by Mantacore, Lawrence says Roy was in bad shape; he remembers seeing the puncture wounds in Roy’s neck. Nearly every single eyewitness account I read mentions the excessive amount of blood. There were many cast members and security guards there; all were required to give written statements to the police. Their words paint a horrific, terrifying scene. It was really hard to read.The statements describe how blood soaked through the many towels that were held to Roy’ s neck in the efforts to stop his bleeding. Security guards note that the Paramedics were called, but many minutes passed before they arrived; they had driven past the alley that leads to the back of the stage. While waiting, a group of employees had gathered around their boss, wanting to help, keeping him still , some even attempting to administer oxygen. One staff member wrote that although his blood soaked through towel after towel, Roy continued to cry out that he couldn't breathe. She said they helped him the best they could.One performer's report stated that Roy’s moans were so loud before he passed out from blood loss that a manager was instructed to turn the show music up “as loud as possible” to keep the guests from hearing.Once Roy was loaded into an ambulance, the remaining staff cleaned up the mess as Siegfried collected himself enough to walk back onstage, telling the audience that the show for the night was indeed over. No one present imagined it would be over for good.Siegfried and Roy had the most visited attraction in Las Vegas for many years, their “Masters of Illusion” show — which featured their white tigers — was enormously popular and hugely profitable for both the duo and The Mirage Hotel. The show did close permanently on the night of the attack, which was also Roy’s 59th birthday. It's a horrible coincidence, having the two occasions on the same date. It is not hard to feel sorry for Roy about that.Since the attack, Siegfried and Roy have made a few guest appearances here and there, and in 2009 performed a short “Farewell Show”, which was shown on ABC’s 20/20. The proceeds for that show were donated to the neurological institute that had worked so hard to save Roy’s life.Roy's injuries from the event were indeed critical; he suffers long-term brain damage which affects his ability to walk, speak, see and obviously perform. He also suffered enormous blood loss, which led to a stroke in the ambulance. The tiger’s teeth severed a vein in his neck and just barely missed his artery. The doctors initially did not expect him to live.In addition to the cranial trauma, Roy had crushing wounds to his shoulder, back and legs. The attack had knocked him first off his feet and onto his back, with 400- pound Mantacore landing on top of him as Roy struggled and kicked.When the attack started, Roy tried only to free himself, first kicking and hitting the tiger repeatedly with his microphone, then by using his fists and his feet. Lawrence ran on-stage and grabbed Mantacore’s tail, hoping to cause a distraction that would prompt the tiger to move off of Roy. The tail-pulling had little effect, although Mantacore did turn to bark once at Lawrence.Lawrence says he watched helplessly as Roy's attempts to escape seemed to make the tiger more and more enraged. Witnesses watched in horror when Mantacore suddenly clamped down on Roy’s neck. Another report states that the tiger lifted him as if it were no effort at all.Mantacore carried Roy, who had gone limp and still, through the stage curtains and down to the offstage area. Most of the audience had remained in their seats; some later said they assumed the attack was part of the show.Witnesses all insist it happened so quickly it was hard to react, even as the other handlers rushed the stage to help. Usually, a handlers presence onstage would be strictly forbidden, as Roy never wanted audiences to know he wasn't the tiger's sole trainer. The night of the attack was different. Recognizing the situation was serious, Lawrence and the other trainers put aside the rules and had rushed onstage towards an enraged 400-pound tiger.Lawrence, deeply traumatized, has PTSD from the experience and has struggled to come to terms with the end of his career as well. Lawrence had worked with big cats for over 13 years, yet the aftereffects of the attack have been so profound that he now finds it hard be around his own pets.The memories and the guilt from remaining quiet about what happened have haunted Lawrence, plunging him into a deep depression. He says these were all factors which contributed to his decision to come forward.A Siegfried and Roy documentary is now in the works, and because of the renewed interest in the duo Lawrence says he can no longer support them. He maintains that the cover up is “A version shaped by them to save face and the brand.”When the 2004 investigation into the attack began, Lawrence was kept away and ordered not to talk. A few years after the attack, he was no longer working for The Mirage.Today, Lawrence claims that Roy had been neglecting the animals, and not spending nearly enough time with the tigers before each show. According to the former keeper, Roy also missed the cues that night that Mantacore seemed “hot”, a term commonly used by trainers to describe an irritable tiger. Added up, all of these lapses were matters for concern. An experienced trainer like Roy should have known better. It was not like him to be careless.It is sad to read that Lawrence risked his life to help Roy during the attack, and has been called “an alcoholic” a “liar” and “troubled” publicly by Roy as thanks. Despite this, Lawrence wants the full truth to be told. He hopes it will help with his nightmares.Although Roy is lucky to be alive, his inability to perform was ruinous for the show and for the over 250 staff members who lost their jobs that night, and were told the very next day to “find other work” by the owner of the Mirage, Steve Wynn.Siegfried and Roy still reside in their sprawling “Little Bavaria” estate in Las Vegas, although Roy rarely ventures out. The Mirage Hotel still exhibits their menagerie of tigers and dolphins in an attraction they call the “Secret Garden”, but the duo no longer bring in revenue close to the 70 million-plus every year that they did before the attack. I doubt though that they worry too much about money.Of course, they charge a fair amount for admission and events at the “Secret Garden”, however they do offer the healthful “Yoga with a Dolphin” or “Keeper for a Day” packages — for the discriminating tourist.I visited Las Vegas in 2006 and took a quick walk through The Mirage and the“Garden”; I found it to be very expensive, over-hyped, and a little bit puzzling. So very Las Vegas.I really think that “Secret” of the “Secret Garden” has been the ongoing PR smokescreen and the fabricated explanation for the attack that ended the show, effectively derailing the decades- long money train of Siegfried and Roy.The Mirage and the duo do everything they can still to protect their image and reputation — their success and future profits are always going to be riding on it. That is understandable to a point.Siegfried and Roy are touted as the greatest of showmen — long-time friends who are talented performers, animal lovers, and forerunners in conservation. The very “Pride of Las Vegas.” I read the same praise for them in every media source.I admire them for their success, and for their contribution as entertainers to Las Vegas. They worked very hard in performing their nightly show for so many years. They clearly have amazing artistic flair for the dramatic.But… I can’t say I am a huge fan, despite their talents. What has always bothered me is the fact that if you know anything about conservation and the inbreeding of white tigers, you realize the “conservation” part of their image is not true, especially when it highlights their white tigers. It makes very little sense at all.In addition to the sham stories behind their white tigers , Siegfried and Roy have been off the conservation track since the start of their reign in Vegas. They have traded animals to horrible zoos and stocked their own private zoo with all kinds of captive endangered species — they had a record number of 54 animals in 2003 alone, according to their Class C exhibitors permit.Think about that: 54 animals! Elephants, tigers, lions, snow leopards, jaguars; all kept and bred for the Mirage show and exhibit, but not for any known conservation program.That was the business of Siegfried and Roy, year after year. There are huge profits for people in the practice of buy, breed and sell, but, sadly, no profit to speak of for the animals.It is true that The Mirage claims that the animals in the show and zoo act as ambassadors for their cousins in the wild, and by displaying them Siegfried and Roy are fueling conservation efforts. In short, they are inspiring others to give. Perhaps that is true.They certainly are talented showman and master performers; their magic act was said to be extraordinary.But that is the extent their contribution to conservation — exhibiting, breeding and selling endangered animals. Lip service to other foundations, and made up statistics about white tigers and lions. Nothing else worth noting that I could find, and I really looked.Please tell me if you know something I don't, and can tell me the contributions Siegfried and Roy have made to conservation that I've missed.Although they are top-rate performers, I remain unconvinced Siegfried and Roy are the pioneers in conservation they are touted to be. Their image seems to be their greatest illusion, but they didn't create the monster by themselves. The Mirage hotel has played a huge role by supporting their fabrications.Following the night of the attack, it was again Steve Wynn who came forward with the garbage about Mantacore’s actions being simple “curiosity” upon seeing a bee-hive hairstyle on a lady in the audience. I actually believed that dribble for awhile, I am sorry to say.That story turned out to be false, but it made a lot more sense than the later explanation.In his other version of the “Mantacore was helping me” story, Roy has said he could have become dizzy from medication, not a stroke, and that Mantacore was carrying him out of concern that Roy may fall off the stage.Stroke or medication? Both narratives cast Mantacore as a striped superhero of sorts; a licensed physician and a Good Samaritan on four paws, ready to help his “brother”. Roy insists the special relationship he shares with his animals means they would never hurt him intentionally. He actually says they are his “brothers.”Of course, they wouldn't hurt him. How bad would that look?I've read more than just the eyewitness reports and the findings by the Dept of Agriculture about the attack. I have seen the keeper’s logs for the tigers, veterinary exam results, inventory lists of their animals and their exhibitors permits. I've read the show rotation and medication requirements for the tigers — plus a lot more. I can't say I was too surprised.But I do have a lot of trouble with Siegfried and Roy’s complete rewriting of the attack and distortions when it comes to the human/tiger dynamic. Give me a break with the imaginary “helping tiger” story. It hurts all tigers when you invalidate their nature, Roy.For those who prefer to believe Roy’s version, you should know that not one eyewitness account, staff report, piece of evidence or professional opinion points to anything but an attack — Mantacore intended to hurt or kill the object of his rage.Of course, people are entitled to believe the version they feel is reasonable. And plausible. Oh, and not ridiculous.I don’t like to admit things like this, but amongst animal handlers, we call what happened to Roy an “Oh Shit!” moment, as in, “Oh Shit! I Really Am Gonna Die”, and, “Oh Shit! This Cat Isn't Playing”, for starters. There's also the expected “Oh Shit! This Really Was A Bad Idea” moment, right before the lights go out. You get the idea.These moments do usually lead to an actual end, as a bite — and — be dragged elsewhere move often means life is over for the unlucky drag’ee, in this case Roy.Mantacore dragged his lifeless trainer offstage and into a future that was effectively never the same. It was indeed a life-changing moment, After many surgeries and years of rehabilitation, Roy could stand but not walk. He still struggles greatly to talk. So it sounds like Mantacore was not really helping to me.Realize also that Mantacore, like all tigers, does know his species from humans, so no, he did not confuse Roy with his own cub. Tigers are not that illogically stupid.Never mind that Mantacore is a male tiger, and would never be a mommy — mother tigers don’t mete out such extreme bite force on their cubs. The species would never have had a chance if they did.When I hear people whine “But tigers carry their cubs this way” , I usually just shake my head. It always sounds so moronic. The claim that “If Mantacore wanted to kill Roy, he'd be dead ,” is equally as bad. Really?What actually happened does not resemble the fabrications that were released by Siegfried, Roy and The Mirage PR-team, but many people believed it, wanting to join in the fairy tale because it sounds heartwarming and safe. I have no doubt people still believe it, despite all evidence to the contrary.After the attack, Mantacore was not euthanized, but he was quarantined. He really did nothing wrong, but he was certainly not permitted to behave like a normal tiger on that stage, claws or no claws. And of course, Mantacore was declawed. The cat was just acting on instinct; sticking up for himself when he was done with the “handling” and done with the bops on the nose.Deep down, I believe Roy knows enough about animals to know this is true but I don’t think it is something he could admit to the public.The tiger they performed with in their final “Farewell” show of 2009 was billed to be Mantacore, but it most definitely was not. I have no doubt that Roy is smart enough to know not to push a tiger once he is done with you. It never ends well if you try.It's very sad that Mantacore was not allowed to be a tiger in the incident at the Mirage. His natural state was denied and more charitable attributes assigned to him. I am troubled by this way of thinking because it leads directly to the exploitation and destruction of so many tigers.Private ownership, roadside zoos, traditional medicine — we are forever mislabeling these beautiful great cats, trying to shove them into categories where they just don’t belong. Performers and Pets they are not.I’d just like people to think about what is plausible, what is reasonable. Not what is theatrical, or what warms the heart.I know I’m repeating myself, but that is because every day I hear more hogwash about tigers — tigers make great pets, tigers will protect your house, tigers can’t strike hard, and the like. Blah blah, and blah.Is natural behavior really so disturbing that we have to call an attack an act of goodwill? Are we that self-absorbed that we feel comfortable only when animals are “loyal” to us, or weaker than us?I get that Siegfried and Roy think like that, because their life has been built on a lot of hocus pocus. I believe most people can be smarter than that.Siegfried & Roy's Animal Handler Breaks Silence on Tiger Mauling, Alleges Cover-Up | Hollywood Reporter:The Tiger and the Tragic Trick: Siegfried &Roy's Animal Handler Breaks Silence on Mauling, Alleges Cover-Up:……Behind a Glass, DarklyKidney failure kills 2 cubs at Siegfried & Roy’s sanctuary