Black's death came roughly two weeks after the recent graduate of Indiana University was hired as an intern at the facility, according to local media reports.
"Alex loved animals," a statement released by Black's family reads. "Our beautiful, intelligent, passionate Alex had worked, unpaid, at several animal-related ventures, most recently at Wolf Park in Battleground, Indiana. This was her fourth internship, because she really wanted to make a career of working with animals.
"She was looking forward to this first out-of-state internship at the Conservators Center in North Carolina 10 days ago. She was a beautiful young woman who had just started her career. There was a terrible accident, and we are mourning. But she died following her passion," the release, obtained by local station Fox 59, adds.
According to a Monday statement released by the center, the Sunday incident took place after Matthai, a male lion, escaped from the locked holding area he'd been transferred to so that Black and fellow employees could clean out a lion enclosure.
Matthai was ultimately shot and killed by first responders with the Caswell County Sheriff's Office so that Black's body could be retrieved. It's presently unclear how Matthai managed to escape the secured holding area.
"When our husbandry teams clean big cat enclosures they follow a safety protocol that involves moving the cats into a separate space and securing them before humans enter the adjacent space," reads the center's statement. "The specifics of what happened are still under investigation."
Recalling the incident, Sheriff Tony Durden told local TV station WRAL that "the stress level was high."
"I know they're not used to having a 600-pound animal, and then having a young lady laying on the ground. So, you know, stress," he said.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), had sharp words for the center on Monday, urging locals to stay away from such "unaccredited roadside zoos… [that] keep imprisoning dangerous animals for entertainment."
The center is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; however, it does follow standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture, according to its website.
Black's family is currently asking that donations be made to Wolf Park, a nonprofit education and research facility in Indiana, to honor Black. The Conservator's Center will be closed until further notice.
