Three tranquilizer darts were also shot at the animal, according to an incident report from the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office.
Sgt. Michael Griggs detailed the confrontation with the lion after it attacked 22-year-old Alexandra Black, a recent college graduate who was working as a husbandry intern at the Conservators Center.
The center said that the lion escaped while the husbandry team was cleaning its enclosure and it attacked Black in a nearby area.
Griggs said that he arrived at the center and was informed that the lion was running around and that the fire department had water lines set up to spray the lion if it got close to Black again.
The center’s animal manager was waiting on a tranquilizer gun to try to put down the animal.
After a third dart failed to put the lion down, officials decided to use deadly force.
Griggs and another officer shot the lion eight times in total to ensure that it died, with the final one being detailed by Griggs, who aimed for the heart per instructions from Evans.
Griggs used a 12-gauge shotgun. The gun used by other officers was not detailed.
Conservators Center’s Lions
The center was founded in 1999 by longtime wildlife organization volunteers and employees Evans and Mindy Stinner as an educational nonprofit dedicated to providing a home for select carnivore species.“The Center’s population of large cats expanded from three big cats to over 30 individuals in a matter of a few months. Because of the decision to maintain these animals on site, the business plan of the organization was shifted to include opening the park to the public to provide enough funding to support the expanded population. With that shift, the Center opened its doors to the public in 2007 with its first guided, walking tours,” the center stated.
The center now houses over 80 animals across more than 21 species and welcomes over 16,000 visitors a year.
The center has closed indefinitely after the attack.
“It’s unique, and it’s a nice thing to have,” she added. She called the lion attack a “very sad mistake on someone’s part.”
“Caused a lot of hurt,” she said. “An animal is dead, a person is dead, and evidently this young girl was finally doing what she always wanted to do, and very sad it ended this way.”
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