Over a week ago, there was a fatal attack at the Indianapolis Zoo by a typically tame lioness. This 12-year-old female lion, Zuri, had been living with 10-year-old Nyack for eight years with no obvious aggression beforehand. The attack apparently came out of nowhere.
The pair had three cubs between them, so this was a pretty big shock to the community. Zuri had killed him by suffocation and the keepers are completely lost as to the cause of the fight, according to Washington Post.
Apparently this could have been due to the couple’s abnormal relationship.
Zuri was unlike other lionesses in that she was quite dominant over Nyack. This is very uncommon for lion relationships.
CNN reported that the zoo said that, “many people loved visiting Nyack. He was a magnificent male lion and left his legacy in his three cubs.”
The three cubs are safe, and the zoo is thoroughly investigating what could have caused this. There is currently no plan to change how they manage the lions.