Lion kills worker after escaping locked area at NC conservatory

YANCEYVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A lion escaped an enclosure at a wildlife conservatory in Caswell County Sunday and killed a young woman interning there, the facility reported in a news release.

The incident happened at the Conservators Center in southern Caswell County north of Pleasant Grove.

According to the wildlife conservatory, the incident happened as an animal keeper was cleaning the lion’s enclosure.

One lion managed to leave a locked area and quickly killed 22-year-old Alexandra Black, the center said in the news release.

The lion was later killed by gunfire, which allowed Caswell County officials to retrieve Black’s body.

Black was a recent graduate of Indiana State University, was a college intern and had been working at the center for about two weeks, officials said. Black was a native of New Palestine, Indiana.

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