Vegas tiger finds a home on the range

After years of show business on the Las Vegas strip, it came time for the entertainer known as Snow Magic to retire.

Now, from his new pad on the eastern plains of Calhan, the blue-eyed star plans to spend his time taking it easy - and eating dozens of pounds of raw meat a week.

The 9-year-old white, stripeless Bengal tiger was given to Big Cats of Serenity Springs by illusionist Dirk Arthur, who performs with tigers and leopards in a magic show at the Tropicana Resort and Casino.

Although there is no official count of such tigers, Arthur believes his feline former co-star is one of about 17 white tigers in the world.

Mahendra Shrestha, director of Save the Tiger Fund at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, said all of the known white tigers come from a single ancestor captured in India in 1951, a white male named Mohan. He said that their scarcity has made them a popular attraction, but that it has also encouraged inbreeding over the years.

Arthur, who has worked with big cats for 27 years, includes an educational piece of their endangerment as part of his show. In addition to his show, he also selectively breeds cats to bring diversity to the gene pool, he said. When Snow Magic was done performing in January, Serenity founder Nick Sculac - one of Arthur's longtime friends - suggested the cat come to Colorado, where there would be more room and activity for him.

The cats are used in illusions in which they disappear or turn into people, Arthur said.

Snow Magic was used in a trick to make a striped tiger appear to lose his stripes.

Arthur said Snow Magic appeared ready to retire. The tigers and leopards usually get excited to perform, he said. After all, it means a regular dose of steaks. Snow Magic lost his enthusiasm, though, and Arthur does not believe in aggressive tactics in animal training.

In retirement, Snow Magic will have a couple of fellow celebrities with which to chew the fat. Serenity is also home to Bianca, a striped white tiger from Arthur, and Savannah, a lioness that appeared in the movie "Secondhand Lions."

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Contact the writer: 636-0198 or brian.newsome@gazette.com  

Big Cats of Serenity Springs Details

Public tours of Big Cats of Serenity Springs, 24615 Scott Road in Calhan, are given at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. No appointment is required, but the owners ask that people arrive promptly. Admission is $10, children under 2 free. Tours last about an hour. To check for weather-related closures, call 347-9200. For more information, go to www.bigcatsofserenitysprings.org.