BURLINGTON, North Carolina — A state medical examiner's investigation report indicates the intern killed by a lion at the Conservators Center late last year was killed after an enclosure gate wasn't closed properly.
The report says a witness with the Caswell County Sheriff's Office told the medical examiner on scene that the lion was able get into the enclosure 22-year-old Alex Black was cleaning after leaving the enclosure it was supposed to be locked in. Another staff member and intern were also in the same enclosure. The medical examiner's investigation says Lt. Eugene Riddick advised the medical examiner that the staff member tried to separate the lion from Black, but the lion bit Black's ankle and pulled her further into the enclosure.