Siegfried Predicts Duo's Return

The show will go on, says Siegfried Fischbacher of the "Siegfried & Roy" wild animal act, despite the near-fatal mauling of his partner, Roy Horn, by a tiger during a performance.

"At the moment, I'm trying to bring Roy back," he told CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "When we started this 44 years ago, we started this together and we have to finish this up together."

Fischbacher calls the outpouring of support for the Las Vegas team "unbelievable," and says Horn is aware of it.

"He knows it. I see it in his eyes," Fischbacher said. "And, of course, I tell him, as I know, everything is going to be all right."

Horn remains in critical condition at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, but has shown signs of improvement. Doctors said he moved his hands and feet during the weekend.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Fischbacher confirmed that Horn suffered a stroke after the attack but did not discuss Horn's injuries or whether Horn is expected to recover fully.

"We take it hour by hour, day by day," Fischbacher said.

The tiger that injured Roy Horn of the duo "Siegfried & Roy" had been trying to help the trainer after he slipped and accidentally harmed Horn by using too much force, said Fischbacher in another broadcast interview.

"A cat is a tiger and when he wants to protect his pal, he does it the way a tiger does, with his strength," Fischbacher said. "But we are human; we are a little more fragile."

"The cat realized there was something wrong," he said. "Roy slipped, I run after, all my animal handlers run after, so he was just confused."

After Horn tried to free himself by hitting the tiger on the head with a microphone, the 600-pound animal took hold of his neck and then dragged him offstage. Show workers set off fire extinguishers backstage to distract the tiger, which then scurried to his cage.

Fischbacher said the tiger didn't intend to kill Horn. If that was the case, he said, "I wouldn't be here, Roy wouldn't be here."

According to Fischbacher, Horn muttered after the attack: "Don't harm the cat."

The duo's manager Bernie Yuman told The Associated Press early Thursday that Siegfried would never continue to perform without his longtime partner. "It is Siegfried and Roy and that's the way it began and that's the way it will always be," he said.

"Siegfried & Roy" debuted in 1990 at The Mirage and earns the hotel-casino about $44 million in annual revenue. The show's 267 employees, however, have been told to find new jobs.

Fischbacher, 64, said Horn still can't talk but is communicating through hand signals — one gesture for "yes," two for "no."

"So we talk. ... and also with eye contact," he said. "When you are that long together ... he understood exactly what I was saying. I could see it in his face."

The cat remains quarantined at the casino. The federal Agriculture Department is investigating.