Dirk Arthur, Vegas magician known for live animal acts, dies; what happens to tigers, other cats?

LAS VEGAS — The final Las Vegas magician to use live animals in his acts has died, KSNV reported.

Dirk Arthur was 63.

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Arthur performed for almost 20 years in Sin City. His latest act with animals — ”Dirk Arthur’s Wild Illusions” — was at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino in 2015. The Las Vegas Review-Journal said last year that he had performed at the resort in 2018 without animals.

Arthur was found in his home and his cause of death is being investigated, KLAS reported.

The Westgate released a statement saying that it was “deeply saddened by the loss of Dirk Arthur. He was a special talent and will always be a cherished member of our Westgate family,” KTNV reported.

His publicist, Laura Herlovich, called Arthur a “friend first and foremost” and spoke about “his never-ending love for his big cats.”

“He taught me so much about big cats and even how to communicate and bond with them — I always loved showing off and letting those we gave tours to his habitat see how the tigers would answer me back. I was so lucky to know Dirk and to be a part of his world,” Herlovich told KNTV.

Arthur was making plans to buy a theater in Branson, Missouri, to restart his wild animal show, KVVU reported.

Last year, he was attempting to resurrect his show featuring live tigers, but there had been protests by animal rights activists, the Review-Journal reported.

According to KLAS, Arthur owned 10 cats at the time of his death — six tigers, one snow leopard, two clouded leopards and a bobcat. They were all removed from his ranch and are in the care of the Clark County Animal Protection Services before they’re relocated to an animal sanctuary.

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