The Indianapolis Zoo is sad to announce that its 10-year-old adult male lion, Nyack died in the outdoor yard Monday morningbefore the Zoo opened to the public. The male died as the result of injuries inflicted by an adult female lion. When animal care staff heard an unusual amount of roaring from the outdoor lion yard they responded and observed one of the adult female lions, Zuri, being aggressive with Nyack. A younger female lion, their 3-year-old daughter Sukari, was also in the yard at the time of the incident. Zoo personnel made every effort to separate the lions but Zuri held Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving. The veterinary staff completed a necropsy (animal version of an autopsy) and confirmed that Nyack died of suffocation from injuries to the neck.   The two lions were part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) which oversees population management of select species within Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) member institutions and enhances species conservation in the wild. As a part of the SSP, Nyack was on loan from the San Diego Zoo and in 2015, Zuri and Nyack produced a litter of three cubs. The two lions have been housed together for eight years. They were compatible with no outward indication that an event like this would occur.  Detailed daily logs maintained by the animal care staff did not report any unusual aggression, injuries or wounds between Zuri and Nyack prior to Monday's incident. A thorough review will be conducted to attempt to understand what might have led to this incident. There are no current plans to change how the lions are managed. Zuri will remain in her female pair group with her daughter Sukari.  We know many people loved visiting Nyack. He was a magnificent male lion and left his legacy in his three cubs. He will be missed by guests, members, volunteers and staff.  title: File uploaded by user duration: 00:00:00 site:  author:  published:  intervention: no description:
Lioness kills father of her 3 cubs
00:37 - Source: HLN
CNN  — 

A lioness killed the father of her three cubs at the Indianapolis Zoo this week.

In a statement Friday, Indianapolis zoo staff said they heard “an unusual amount of roaring” at the lions’ outdoor yard early Monday morning.

When they arrived, they saw a female lion, Zuri, in a physical confrontation with their adult male lion, Nyack.

“Zoo personnel made every effort to separate the lions, but Zuri held Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving,” the zoo said in a statement.

Zoo veterinary staff conducted a necropsy on Nyack and found that the 10-year-old male died of suffocation from injuries to the neck.

The two lions were housed together at the Indianapolis Zoo for eight years and produced three cubs, zoo officials said. According to staff logs, there were no previous examples of aggression between Zuri and Nyack.

“We know many people loved visiting Nyack. He was a magnificent male lion and left his legacy in his three cubs,” the zoo said in a statement.

The Indianapolis Zoo said it will investigate the incident and there are no current plans to change how they manage the lions. The attack occurred before the zoo opened to the public Monday morning.