Intern, 22, Killed by Lion at North Carolina Zoological Park 'Loved Animals'
Alexandra Black had only been working at the park for two weeks when the attack occurred.
An Indiana woman who was killed while interning at her job at a zoological park in North Carolina is being remembered as someone who “loved animals.”
Alexandra Black, 22, had only been interning at the Conservators Center in Burlington for two weeks when a lion escaped its enclosure during a routine cleaning by a trained keeper. Black was attacked and killed by the animal on Sunday, according to the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office.
Black had just graduated from Indiana University and her family said her current internship was her fourth job working with animals because she hoped to make it her career someday.
"Alex loved animals. Our beautiful, intelligent, passionate Alex had worked, unpaid, at several animal-related ventures, most recently at Wolf Park in Battleground, Indiana,” Black’s family told local station WXIN. “… There was a terrible accident, and we are mourning.”
The Conservators Center, which has more than 80 animals, issued a statement after Black’s death as well.
"One of the lions somehow left a locked space and entered the space the humans were in and quickly killed one person," the center wrote on its Facebook Sunday. "The Conservators Center is devastated by the loss of a human life today.”
The male lion has since been euthanized, the center said. The park also said it has never had an incident of this nature and that “safety is very, very important.”
The park was quickly evacuated after the attack and will remain closed until further notice, according to reports.
RELATED STORIES
Trending on Inside Edition

GoFundMe Donations Top $238K for Las Vegas Man Who Received Goodie Bag After Never Missing Work in 27 Years
Inspirational
Jess Hall, 1 of the Nation’s 1st Non-Binary Police Chiefs, On Being a Role Model in Their Wisconsin Town
Human Interest
Sister of Detained Man Who Smashed Head in Police Van Speaks Out: 'It Makes Me Sick to My Stomach'
Crime
R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Racketeering, Sex Trafficking of Girls
Crime
Texas Man Who Was Acquitted of Killing His Father in 2014 Due to Insanity Escapes Mental Health Hospital
Crime