State cites animal preserve where lion killed intern for workplace safety violations
State regulators have levied a $3,000 fine for workplace safety violations on a Caswell County exotic animal preserve where an intern was killed last winter in a lion attack.
Alex Black was killed on Dec. 30 when a lion was able to escape its enclosure at the Conservators Center and attack her.
According to a medical examiner's report released in February, a large ball blocked a door from closing properly after the lion had been placed inside a pen while humans entered the enclosure.
An attorney representing the Conservators Center has previously denied that a ball blocked the door, calling the report "neither accurate nor plausible."
The state Department of Labor issued three citations Thursday for what inspectors deemed serious violations. Each citation carries a proposed $1,000 fine, but Conservators Center can appeal each one.
The violations were for "ineffective procedures" for securing the lion enclosure, a lack of a preventive maintenance program to ensure the enclosure door worked properly and an inadequate emergency response plan.
An autopsy determined that Black died from multiple traumatic, deep lacerations to her neck that resulted in significant blood loss. She also suffered several defensive wounds.
Firefighters who responded to the scene attempted to use a hose to force the lion, known as Matthai, off of Black, but were unsuccessful, authorities said. Following multiple attempts to tranquilize the animal, deputies eventually had to fire eight shots to kill Matthai.
"We know that the Conservators Center didn’t purposely set out to have an intern killed. We know it was a tragic accident," Black’s aunt, Virginia Black, told WRAL News in April. "The questions we have surround more what their protocols were, whether they were followed."
Virginia Black said that she believes the preserve wasn't prepared for the possibility of an attack, noting that the tranquilizer gun was not close to the animal enclosure and then jammed when it was used.
She and other family members also wonder why preserve employees and first responders focused on trying to save the lion instead of shooting it sooner to get help to Alex Black.
"We do question why the decision was made so early on not to shoot the lion, when it was clear he was not going to leave her alone, to get to her sooner," she said. "When a dog bites a person, that dog is usually put down. Why was that even an issue?"
