A lioness killed the father of her three cubs at the Indianapolis Zoo, in the United States. The keepers don't seem to understand why.

What happened?

The lions had been held together for eight years at the Indianapolis Zoo and had three cubs in 2015. No aggression was ever spotted between the mother and father. After hearing an unusual amount of roaring, staff rushed over to the lions' enclosure. They found the lioness, Zuri, in a fierce fight with the father of her cubs, Nyack. The brave keepers made an attempt to separate them, but with no such luck. Zuri continued to hang on to Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving.

Lioness kills father of cubs: why did it happen?

The staff were in shock and devastated by what happened. Unfortunately, nobody really knows why the attack took place. An autopsy found that Nyack died of suffocation from neck injuries. A full review will be made in an attempt to understand what provoked the attack. The female cub, Sukari, was there at the time of the attack but was not hurt. The two other cubs are kept in a separate part of the exhibit.

The zoo wrote that Nyack was described as a "very vocal" and "laid-back" lion.

Source: The Guardian

Photo used for illustration purposes only.

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