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It was not a surprise to hear the mighty roar of a lion at the Indianapolis Zoo. It was likely that it was only Nyack, the "very loud" African lion, 10 years old.
But an "unusual amount of roars" last week prompted zoo animal welfare staff to rush to the outdoor lion's yard, Reuters, citing a zoo press release.
Upon their arrival, they discover a primordial scene.
Nyack is fighting a fierce battle with Zuri, a 12-year-old lioness and mother of her children. – and he was losing.
"She had Nyack by the neck," zoo curator David Hagan told Reuters, describing the Oct. 15 attack. Attempts were made to separate the couple, but Zuri held out until Nyack stopped moving, Hagan said. An autopsy revealed that the lion had died of suffocation, according to the Indianapolis Star, following a neck injury.
The sudden attack that occurred before the zoo opened left the staff and experts of the lions completely disconcerted. A lioness attacks a male whom she knew not only but who had also fathered her cubs?
A definite reason may be unknown, but lion expert Craig Packer, director of the Lion Center at the University of Minnesota, told the Washington Post Nyack's death could be related to his " unusual relationship "with Zuri.
"She apparently dominated it all the time they were together," said Packer. "This is in itself almost unknown."
He added, "I have never heard of a woman as dominant as the man."
For eight years, Nyack and Zuri coexisted without incident. had "done very well together" during this period, Hagan told WIBC. "We do not know what was the precursor of the fight," he said.
In a Facebook post on Friday, announcing the death of Nyack, the zoo announced that he would conduct a "thorough review to try to understand what could have led to it." Zuri and his three cubs, one of whom was present during the deadly clash, are all OK, the post added.
Zuri will stay at the zoo, reported WIBC. According to Reuters, there is no plan to change the way lions are managed.
Among other things, the zoo tried to understand what had happened, including calling Packer, who had studied the lions in the Serengeti a lot. He described the attack as "surprising" and "so unexpected".
"They called me because they were perplexed, and I agree that it's amazing," Packer said. "19659015] Zuri killing Nyack is bizarre for two reasons Packer said: He was the father of his little ones and she engaged him individually.
Although the details of the incident are shocking, the Female lions attacking men are not unprecedented.In September, a video showed a group of lionesses attacking a male lion at the West Midland Safari Park in England, reported the BBC.According to the BBC, this lion was presented last year
In the wild, Packer said he also observed females attacking a nomadic male, but only in order to hunt the "strange" lion and protect their cubs. being trying to hurt the male, but the intention is not to kill, he said.
Sukari, the 3-year-old daughter of the lions, was in the bullpen during the attack and Zuri is described as an "attentive". tector ", who usually watches her cubs, according to the zoo. But Packer added that Sukari did not seem "threatened with anything".
The incident, he added, could stem from the "unusual combination" of a "gentle man" and an "all-powerful woman". 19659004] "I do not usually badociate this type of personality with a lioness," he said. "The fact that it has developed is fascinating."
The zoo described Nyack as "laid back". Zuri, however, was "big and very dominant," Packer said. According to the zoo, Zuri weighed only 25 pounds less than Nyack.
Male lions are generally much larger than females and more aggressive, and "being next to a big male, it's like living near a barrel of dynamite," declared Packer.
"Women will sometimes be annoyed by men and punch them, but they will be careful not to provoke them too much," he said.
That did not seem to be the dynamics. between Nyack and Zuri. Given Nyack's softness, Packer stated that it was likely that Zuri would not receive "the usual male discharge that would be normal in this species", which allowed him to exert a dominant position on him.
"Apparently, the male was still very subordinate to her, which is totally strange," said Packer.
In last week's brutal fight, Packer said Zuri had attacked Nyack twice. The first time, Nyack managed to escape, but Zuri followed him, he said.
"It's the second time she seems to have slit her," he said.
Nyack's death has left the city. The zoo's staff was devastated, Hagan told Reuters. On social media, many who visited Nyack shared photos and paid tribute to him.
"My heart is broken," wrote one person on Facebook. "It was the best part of the zoo."
Another user mentioned the idea of going to the zoo early in the morning, just to hear the Nyack roar.
A person shared a photo of Nyack "calmly" leaning against the glbad of his fence a few days before his death. Zuri was lying a few steps away and "everything seemed fine," he wrote.
Packer said that it was still mysterious why Zuri had only recently attacked, adding that the animals were "very unpredictable".
just seemed to be having a bad day, "he said.
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