Federal agency cites two Harrah’s casinos for mistreating big cats
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Magician
Dirk Arthur interacts with his white Bengal tiger, Crystal, before
being loaded into a trailer to be taken to the Tropicana Resort &
Casino
in this March 9, 2006, file photo. Treatment of big cats in
Arthur's Laughlin
and Reno shows has come under scrutiny by the U.S.
Department of
Agriculture. (File, Clint Karlsen/Las Vegas
Review-Journal)
Magician Dirk Arthur is seen here with Bianca, a white striped tiger, in
a Tuesday, April 25, 2006 file photo. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture says Arthur's Wild Magic show, which plays at Harrah’s
casinos in Reno and Laughlin, has not been treating its big cats
properly. (File, Shelly Donahue/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Magician
Dirk Arthur snuggles two newborn white tigers at his home in this April
24, 1998 file photo.
(File, Clint Karlsen/LasVegas Review-Journal)
Rosie, a Bengal tiger, is owned by magician, Dirk Arthur. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture says Arthur's Wild Magic show, which plays at
Harrah’s casinos in Reno and Laughlin, has not been treating its big
cats properly. (File, Shelly Donahue/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
By HANNAH DREIER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture says a circus act featured at two
Harrah’s casinos in Nevada has been treating its big cats poorly.
The
department cited Dirk Arthur’s Wild Magic show in December for
declawing lions and tigers, keeping a snow leopard in a rusty cage and
chaining a bobcat in a dangerous way. The USDA also found that the
animals’ cages were too small.
In January, the USDA issued a formal warning about the way the animals were living.
The show is featured in Harrah’s casinos in Reno, in northern Nevada, and in Laughlin in southern Clark County.
A spokesman for Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns the casinos, said the company is taking the matter seriously. “As
soon as we were made aware of the issues, we informed Dirk Arthur he
must address and correct them, which he has been actively and diligently
doing,” spokesman Gary Thompson said.
Failure to rectify the issues could result in a fine or criminal prosecution.
The
animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is
urging animal lovers to boycott the show and similar acts. “These
sorts of citations are the industry standard for people who profit from
these shows,” said Carney Anne Nasser, an attorney for the PETA
Foundation. “Big-cat exhibitors are notorious for simply warehousing
tigers and other cats in transport cages that are barely bigger than
their bodies, and totally disregarding the USDA requirements that they
set up exercise areas.”
The complaint noted that Dirk Arthur does not provide an area for the cats to exercise.
His show blends illusions and displays of wild animals. Tickets start at $35 for adults and $17 for children.
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