INDIANAPOLIS – A lion at the Indianapolis Zoo was killed this week by another lion that it had cubs with, zoo officials announced.
The zoo says a 10-year-old male African lion, Nyack, died Monday morning, after it was hurt by a female lion named Zuri. Zuri was OK.
Animal care staff heard “an unusual amount” of roaring from the outdoor lion yard, the zoo said in a news release. They responded and saw Zuri being aggressive with Nyack in the presence of the lions’ 3-year-old daughter, Sukari.
Zoo workers tried to break up the lions, but were unsuccessful. Zuri held Nyack by the neck until the lion stopped moving, according to the release.
A necropsy found that Nyack died of suffocation from injuries to the neck. The lion was killed before the zoo was open to the public.
Source: Indianapolis Zoo: Male lion killed by mother of its cubs