US: 2 weeks into job, intern killed by escaped lion
What's the story
In a tragic incident, a 22-year-old intern was mauled to death by a lion at a private wildlife sanctuary in North Carolina. The incident took place on Sunday at the Conservators Center in Burlington, when the one of the several lions at the sanctuary somehow managed to escape from a locked enclosure. The deceased has been identified as Alexandra Black. Here are the details.
Black
What we know about Alexandra Black
Black had recently graduated from the Indiana State University, and had taken up an internship at the sanctuary around two weeks back. She was passionate about working with animals, and was part of a team that was engaged in carrying out routine cleanups of the enclosure where the lions were kept. However, on Sunday, a routine cleanup turned into a nightmare.
Incident
A male lion named Matthai killed Black; he was shot
While the team was cleaning up a part of the enclosure, a male lion named Matthai escaped from a locked space and came into the space which the team were cleaning. Matthai quickly mauled Black to death, before he was shot and killed. Visitors were at the sanctuary at the time of the attack, but they were quickly evacuated.
Quote
Black died following her passion
"Our beautiful, intelligent, passionate Alex had worked, unpaid, at several animal-related ventures. This was her fourth internship, because she really wanted to make a career of working with animals," said the aggrieved Black family.
Aftermath
The sanctuary has been closed down till further notice
As of now, it is unclear how the lion managed to escape the enclosure, and safety checks are underway. Meanwhile, the sanctuary has been closed off to the public until further notice. The Conservators Center houses more than 80 animals, including lions, tigers, wild cats, and other carnivores, and hence ensuring safety is of prime importance before the Center can be opened again.