Lion That Escaped Kills 22-Year-Old Intern at North Carolina Zoo

A lion escaped at the North Carolina Zoo Sunday and it killed a 22-year-old intern.

At a press conference at The Conservators Center located in Burlington, North Carolina, they stated at 11:30 am ET the intern was cleaning the areas where the animals resided. There was nothing extraordinary about this cleaning and it was considered routine.

Caswell County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 22-year-old Alexander Black who resided in New Palestine, Indiana. Black recently graduated from Indiana State University and was interning at the zoo for two weeks.

In a statement from the Zoo, they stated that normally the husbandry team is lead by those who are trained professionally in cleaning out the enclosure.

It is not known how the lion got out of the locked area and entered where the humans were located.

Unfortunately, the lion killed one of the individuals before it could be stooped. The Conservators Center stated they were devastated by the incident.

The lion who was named Matthai could not be tranquilized by zoo staff. The lion was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies and the body was retrieved.

According to The Conservators Center’s website, the zoo houses 80 different animals and more than 21 different species. The Center is also the home of 15 lions.

Founded in 1999, The Conservators Center was a non-profit whose goal was to provide a home for carnivore animals.

The center said it is investigating how the lion got out of its enclosure.

The zoo will remain closed. There is no reopening date set.

Written by Barbara Sobel

Sources:

CBS 17: Woman killed by lion after it escapes enclosure at NC animal center
ABC News: 22-year-old woman killed by lion that escaped enclosure at animal center: Officials
USA Today: Lion escapes locked area at North Carolina center, kills 22-year-old intern

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