The Indianapolis Zoo in Indiana said that a lion died on Oct. 15 from injuries he sustained in a fight with a female lion at an enclosure.
A zoo employee said that they saw a female lion, Zuri, being aggressive with Nyack. They also noted an unusual amount of roaring.
A lion’s roar can be heard for miles. But below Nyack is letting his pride know where he is in the zoo with much quieter vocalizations.
Staff tried to break up the lions, but they were not successful. Zuri held Nyack by the neck until the lion apparently stopped moving, according to the Indianapolis Star.
After a necropsy, officials confirmed that Nyack died of suffocation due to injuries to its neck.
“Detailed daily logs maintained by the animal care staff did not report any unusual aggression, injuries or wounds between Zuri and Nyack prior to Monday’s incident,” officials said.
The lion died before the zoo was open to the public for the day, the Star reported.
Officials will now investigate how the incident unfolded. There are no plans to change how the lions are managed at the zoo, the Star reported.
Tiger Cage Breach
In a separate incident this week, at a zoo in California, a man was recorded climbing over a barrier to grab something near a tiger’s cage (seen in the top video).
“You cannot design for irresponsible and stupid behavior,” concluded Parrott.