Lioness kills father of her cubs at Indianapolis zoo

By Daniel Trotta

 

The Indianapolis Zoo's adult male lion named Nyack, which died as the result of injuries inflicted by an adult female lion, is seen in this undated photo released by the zoo in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., October 21, 2018. Courtesy Indianapolis Zoo/Handout via REUTERS

 

(Reuters) - A lioness has killed the father of her three offspring, suffocating her mate by locking her jaws onto his neck at the Indianapolis Zoo in an attack not fully understood by zoo staff.

 

The lions had been held together at the zoo for eight years, producing three cubs in 2015, and zookeepers had never before noticed any aggression between the two, the zoo said in a statement issued on Friday.

 

The death devastated zookeepers and the cause may never be understood, the curator of the zoo said.

 

"They build strong bonds with the animals so any loss affects us all greatly. For a lot of us, it's just like a family member," David Hagan, curator of the Indianapolis Zoo, said in an interview.

 

Zoo staff were alerted by "an unusual amount of roaring" coming from the lion pen on Monday and arrived to find the 12-year-old female lion Zuri in a fight with the 10-year-old male lion Nyack, the zoo said in a statement.

 

"She had Nyack by the neck. Keepers came up and saw what was occurring and made an attempt to separate the two. But she continued to hang onto Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving," Hagan said.

 

A necropsy found that Nyack died of suffocation from injuries to the neck.

 

The lioness had been on loan from the San Diego Zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan managed by Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

 

The incident was under review but there were no plans to change how the lions would be managed, the zoo said.

 

One of their offspring, a 3-year-old female named Sukari, was in the outdoor lion pen at the time, while the two male offspring were kept in a separate part of the exhibit.

 

Zookeepers began separating the males earlier this year, corresponding the age they typically leave the pride, at 2 or 3, when they are considered young adults, Hagan said.

 

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Diane Craft)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-22

3rd wave feminist

In the wild it is common for a male to kill the cubs, even his own, so the female gets into heat again, never heard of a female killing a male. Would be very difficult, since males are much heavier, so there is something strange about this story.

Typical M I L F antics

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

In the wild it is common for a male to kill the cubs, even his own, so the female gets into heat again, never heard of a female killing a male. Would be very difficult, since males are much heavier, so there is something strange about this story.

Yes she probably saw him as a threat to the cubs. But he was deeply averse to fighting a female, and there was nowhere for him to walk away. So he just let her end his life.

Sick of zoos

Probably he did something wrong decades ago. #MeToo

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Probably he did something wrong decades ago. #MeToo

He was always lion.

Just now, MaksimMislavsky said:

Yes she probably saw him as a threat to the cubs. But he was deeply averse to fighting a female, and there was nowhere for him to walk away. So he just let her end his life.

You mean they got married?!

Hum !....sounds familiar......Was the lionness imported from Thailand ?

23 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

You mean they got married?!

Cohabiting, having offspring together. This kind of relationship is recognized as marriage in some jurisdictions

Felines have long memories. Could be an issue from long ago which was worrying her.

It figures, another American bi*** gets off with Murder of husband, claims protecting children. Ohhhhh the bite that kills.

Well, he won't be asking her what's for supper again.

So what is the penalty for that ?  Perhaps San Diego Zoo should be billed for their lioness killing that lion. 

 

11 minutes ago, oldrunner said:

It figures, another American bi*** gets off with Murder of husband, claims protecting children. Ohhhhh the bite that kills.

I thought it was an African Lion living in America.

6 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

I thought it was an African Lion living in America.

African provenance used to prevent one from being considered a true American, but it is no longer the case. 

Feline version of post-partum depression maybe?