Lioness at Zoo Kills Father of Her 3 Cubs

Zookeepers in Indianapolis aren't sure what happened

By Josh Gardner, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 21, 2018 4:30 PM CDT
Updated Oct 22, 2018 1:50 AM CDT

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Lioness Kills Father of Her Three Cubs — File photo of a lionees. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

A female lion at the Indianapolis Zoo killed a male that had previously sired three of her cubs. Per IndyStar, a zoo statement says the 10-year-old male African lion named Nyack died last week after zookeepers heard noises coming from their habitat and discovered him with female Zuri's jaws wrapped around his neck. With their 3-year-old cub nearby, the struggle continued and, despite the efforts of staff, came to a fatal end.

"Zoo personnel made every effort to separate the lions, but Zuri held Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving," the statement read. Per CNN, zoo staff kept daily notes about the interactions between the two lions and, in the eight years they'd lived side-by-side, no aggressive behavior was ever recorded. The pair had three cubs in 2015. Despite the unexpected tragedy, zoo officials said they have no plans to change the way their lions are managed.

(More zoo stories.)

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