Lion escapes enclosure, kills woman at NC wildlife center

CASWELL COUNTY, N.C. -- A lion escaped its enclosure at a North Carolina wildlife center and killed a 22-year-old employee, officials said.

A husbandry team led by an animal keeper was carrying out a routine cleaning at the Conservators Center in Burlington when one of the lions left a locked space, officials said.

The lion entered the space the humans were in and quickly killed the woman, who had only worked at the center for about two weeks.

The victim of the attack has been identified as 22-year-old Alexandra Black of New Palestine, Indiana.

Officials said she was a recent graduate of Indiana University, was a college intern and had been employed at the Conservator Center for about two weeks.

The lion was shot and killed to allow Caswell County personnel to retrieve Black, officials said.

The Conservators Center is closed until further notice, as the investigation is ongoing.