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An African lioness killed her longtime companion and the father of her three cubs earlier this week at the Indianapolis Zoo, officials said.
Zookeepers heard "an unusual amount of roars" and rushed to the lions' area to see Zuri fight with Nyack, 10, near Sukari, the lion's daughter, according to officials.
Zookeepers tried unsuccessfully to separate the adults, but Zuri clenched his jaw on his neck.
"The zoo staff did everything possible to separate the lions, but Zuri held Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving," the zoo said in a statement.
Nyack died of suffocation as a result of his neck injuries.
Zuri gave birth to three Nyack pups in 2015. They have lived together for eight years, officials said. There was no previous aggression between the animals.
Zuri and the cubs – Sukari and the Mushaka and Enzi males – were not injured in combat.
"The detailed daily logs kept by the animal protection staff did not report any unusual aggression, injury or injury between Zuri and Nyack prior to the Monday incident," the zoo's statement said.
"We do not know what was the forerunner of the fight," Zoo curator Hagen told WIBC-TV. "They had been together for eight years and during that time they had been very successful together. The staff is devastated by the loss, "he added. "It was a friendly lion and player."
The zoo is launching an investigation.
An article on the zoo on Facebook said that Nyack "was a magnificent lion and that we will miss him tremendously."
On the zoo's web page, he was described as "very vocal and casual," while Zuri was described as a "protective mother."
The death of the big cat, which is clearly a favorite of visitors to the zoo, has created a surge of grief and support among zoo keepers. Several comments on Facebook were published by people who took care of Nyack in San Diego as a kid. He was on loan to the Indianapolis Zoo in California.
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