Zoo bloodshed: Male lion mauls female lion in front of shocked visitors (PHOTO)
Visitors at the Dallas Zoo on Sunday afternoon said they thought the two lions were playing before blood started pouring from the 5-year-old lionesses' neck.
Comments (9)By Philip Caulfield / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Monday, November 18, 2013, 9:47 AM
Updated: Monday, November 18, 2013, 2:52 PM
WFAA.com
This photo captures the moment at male lion mauled a female lion in his enclosure in front of horrified visitors at the Dallas Zoo on Sunday.
A male lion attacked and killed female lion in their enclosure in front of dozens of horrified onlookers at a Texas zoo Sunday.
Visitors at the Dallas Zoo said they thought the pair was merely roughhousing before blood started pouring from the 5-year-old lioness' Johari's neck.
"At first you think they're playing, then you realize he's killing her … and you're watching it," witness Michael Henshaw told local WFAA-TV. "You just can't believe your eyes."
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Onlookers and the zoo said the attack occurred at around 2:15 p.m. when one of the two male lions in the enclosure crept over to the Johari as she lay on the ground and clamped his massive jaws around her throat.
Zoo-goer Dylan Parker told WFAA-TV that Johari struggled before going limp.
"(The male lion) just lay beside her and held her by the neck for like 10 minutes," Parker said. "Just holding it there, waiting until it quit moving."
Zoo guards rushed to the scene and cleared the exhibit of visitors.
Officials say they don't know what prompted the lion to kill the lioness.
Five lions lived in the enclosure: Johari and her two sisters, and brothers Dinari and Kamaia. All of the lions are five years old and were born in captivity.
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The zoo has not said which of the male lions killed "Jo-Jo," as the keepers called her.
Johari recently celebrated her fifth birthday, the zoo said in a statement. Nearly 100 zoo workers sung "Happy Birthday" to her while she snacked away on some frozen cake.
"Johari was a remarkable animal, as are all of our lions," Lynn Kramer, the zoo's vice president of animal operations and welfare said in a statement.
"This is a very rare and unfortunate occurrence. In my 35 years as a veterinarian
Visitors at the Dallas Zoo said they thought the pair was merely roughhousing before blood started pouring from the 5-year-old lioness' Johari's neck.
"At first you think they're playing, then you realize he's killing her … and you're watching it," witness Michael Henshaw told local WFAA-TV. "You just can't believe your eyes."
WFAA.com
Zoo officials don't know what prompted the male lion to attack. Five lions, three females and two males, lived in the enclosure for three years.
Onlookers and the zoo said the attack occurred at around 2:15 p.m. when one of the two male lions in the enclosure crept over to the Johari as she lay on the ground and clamped his massive jaws around her throat.
Zoo-goer Dylan Parker told WFAA-TV that Johari struggled before going limp.
Courtesy Dallas Zoo
A female lion was named Johari and recently turned 5.
Zoo guards rushed to the scene and cleared the exhibit of visitors.
WFAA
The attack on Sunday afternoon was photographed by several witnesses. The visitors said one of the male lions, pictured above left, bit Johari's neck and held on until she went limp.
Five lions lived in the enclosure: Johari and her two sisters, and brothers Dinari and Kamaia. All of the lions are five years old and were born in captivity.
RELATED: SIBERIAN TIGER KILLS ZOOKEEPER IN GERMANY
WFAA
Dallas Zoo officials said the lions had roughhoused before, but they'd never been violent with each other.
Johari recently celebrated her fifth birthday, the zoo said in a statement. Nearly 100 zoo workers sung "Happy Birthday" to her while she snacked away on some frozen cake.
"Johari was a remarkable animal, as are all of our lions," Lynn Kramer, the zoo's vice president of animal operations and welfare said in a statement.
"This is a very rare and unfortunate occurrence. In my 35 years as a veterinarian
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/male-lion-mauls-female-lion-front-shocked-visitors-article-1.1520503#ixzz2l3QrpuYN
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