Animal trainer and illusionist Roy Horn tripped during a performance  in Las Vegas while trying to distract the attention of Montecore, the white tiger in the act, from an audience member -- a woman with a large hairdo, who reached out to pet it, said casino owner Steve Wynn.
The tiger had grabbed Horn by the forearm before the fall, and Horn rapped him on the nose with a microphone. That made a loud noise, and Horn's partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, and animal trainers rushed to the animal while Horn was down.  That was when the tiger bent down, grabbed Horn by the neck and took him offstage, Wynn said.
--- Peter Henderson, Associated Press, October 10, 2003