A lion escaped its enclosure in Caswell County Sunday killed a 22-year-old intern at a wildlife park in North Carolina.
Alexandra Black had recently graduated from Indiana University and had only been working at the Conservators Center for about two weeks.
the husbandry team led by an animal keeper was carrying out a routine cleaning when one of the lions left a locked space, officials said.
According to the Conservators Center, the lion entered the space the humans were in and quickly killed Black.
Caswell County sheriff’s deputies attempted to tranquilize the lion but in vain, they were obliged then to kill the beast in order to recover Black’s body.
"This is the worst day of my life," said Executive Director of the Conservators Center Mindy Stinner. "We've lost a person. We've lost an animal. We have lost the faith in ourselves a little today."
The Conservators Center is closed until further notice, as the investigation is ongoing.
