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Indiana University

Burlington, North Carolina (CNN)The zoological park intern killed by an escaped lion in North Carolina "loved animals" and wanted to make a career of working with them, her family says.

Alexandra Black, a 22-year-old recent graduate of Indiana University, had been an intern at the Conservators Center in Burlington for about two weeks when she was killed Sunday, the Caswell County Sheriff's Office said.

The center said the male lion, identified as Matthai, escaped a locked holding enclosure and attacked Black while she and others were cleaning another area. Alexandra Black had recently begun an internship at the facility.

Alexandra Black had recently begun an internship at the facility.

In a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis, Black's family said she died "following her passion." "Alex loved animals. 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,

Burlington, North Carolina (CNN)The zoological park intern killed by an escaped lion in North Carolina "loved animals" and wanted to make a career of working with them, her family says.

Alexandra Black, a 22-year-old recent graduate of Indiana University, had been an intern at the Conservators Center in Burlington for about two weeks when she was killed Sunday, the Caswell County Sheriff's Office said.

The center said the male lion, identified as Matthai, escaped a locked holding enclosure and attacked Black while she and others were cleaning another area. Alexandra Black had recently begun an internship at the facility.

Alexandra Black had recently begun an internship at the facility.

In a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis, Black's family said she died "following her passion." "Alex loved animals. 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,