(CNN) -- A nine-year-old white tiger attacked Roy Horn of the duo Siegfried & Roy, during a Friday night performance on the Las Vegas strip -- the tiger's first time on stage, and the trainer's 59th birthday.
The tiger lunged at Horn's neck about half-way through the show, and dragged him off stage, audience members said.
"He looked like a rag doll in his mouth," said Kirk Baser, from Pennsylvania.
The tiger, who was on a short leash, then dragged Horn to the ground and they struggled before the tiger dragged him behind a curtain by his neck, she said. Trainers on stage rushed to aid Horn, trying to subdue the tiger.
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