A lion killed a lioness right in front of spectators at the Dallas Zoo over the weekend. The male lion attacked the female with a crushing bite to the neck, killing her. Zoo officials are now investigating what could have caused the lion to kill the female.
Johari, a five-year-old lioness died quickly after the male attacked her. There were no visible signs of trauma. Following the attack, zoo staff took the other four lions in the exhibit out of public view.
"This is a very rare and unfortunate occurrence. In my 35 years as a veterinarian in zoos, I've never seen this happen," Lynn Kramer, vice president of animal operations and welfare at the Dallas Zoo said according to Reuters.
Dozens of visitors were watching the attack but didn't realize at first that the lioness was in trouble. The male pride member nonchalanty grabbed the lioness by the throat and wouldn't let go.
"At first you think they're playing, and then you realize he's killing her, and ... you're watching it and you just can't believe your eyes," witness Michael Henshaw told WFAA.
"The male lion that started it just had his mouth over her throat, and everyone thought they were playing at first," witness Jim Harvey told WFAA. 'But then they could see she was struggling."
The incident was caught on video. After the lion let go of Johari, he backed away as the female's body went limp.
The three animals involved in the attack were all born in activity and had been together in Dallas for the last three years. Zoo staff noticed some rough play among the animals but never anything out of the ordinary until the weekend attack.
The two other female lionesses were expected to be put back in the exhibit on Monday. The male lions won't be with them for now. It is unclear what caused the attack.
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