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BURLINGTON, N.-C. – A lion killed a young worker Sunday in a conservatory of wildlife after escaping from a locked space, the center said.
Alexandra Black, 22, of New Palestine, Indiana, was killed Sunday after being attacked by the lion in an enclosure being cleaned at the Conservators Center, news organizations reported. citing a statement from the Caswell County Sheriff's Office.
The lion was shot after the animal's attempt to tranquilize, said deputies.
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A "breeding team" led by a trained animal was doing the routine cleaning when the lion came off, the center said in a statement.
Illustration: A lion mother with her cubs at the zoo of Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, on May 30, 2018. (Photo AFP / dpa / Boris Roessler)
It is unclear how the lion escaped from the area that was to be locked, said the center, which is closed until further notice.
"It's the worst day of my life. We lost a person. We lost an animal. We have lost a bit of self-confidence today, "said Mindy Stinner, executive director of the Conservators Center, according to WTVD-TV.
Black had obtained a degree in Animal Behavior from the University of Indiana in May, according to his LinkedIn page. She had been working at the conservatory for about two weeks, her family said.
"It was a beautiful young woman who had just started her career, there was a terrible accident and we are in mourning," said the Black family in a statement, according to media reports. "But she died because of her passion."
The center said the lion was shot to allow the county staff to recover Black.
The facility was founded in 1999 and is located in Burlington, about 80 km northwest of Raleigh.
On its website, the center says that it began organizing public tours in 2007 and attracts more than 16,000 visitors a year. It has more than a dozen employees and currently houses over 80 animals and over 21 species.
The center said it had recruited 14 lions and tigers in 2004 to help the US Department of Agriculture take care of animals that were living in "unacceptable conditions".
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