Indianapolis Zoo Staff Heartbroken After Lioness Kills Her Mate: "It's Like the Loss of a Family Member"

It was a tragic weekend for the Indianapolis Zoo.

The facility is mourning the loss of its 10-year-old male lion Nyack. On Friday, the zoo announced on Facebook that the animal died earlier in the week after being “injured during a physical incident with female lion Zuri.”

Zuri was Nyack’s mate; three years ago the pair had three cubs together.

According to a press release from the zoo about the heartbreaking incident, Nyack died on Monday morning in the outdoor yard of his exhibit, which he shared with Zuri and their daughter Sukari. Animal care staff at the zoo became aware something was wrong when they heard “an unusual amount of roaring” from the yard. Keepers found Zuri acting aggressively toward Nyack, biting the male lion on the neck.

“Zoo personnel made every effort to separate the lions but Zuri held Nyack by the neck until he stopped moving,” reads the release from the zoo.

Sukari was also in the yard at the time of the incident, but was not involved.

The zoo performed a necropsy on Nyack and confirmed it was suffocation from injuries to the neck that killed the lion. The incident is now being throughly reviewed by the zoo to find out what led to Zuri’s behavior.

“Right now there is nothing new as far as review of the incident. I will say that for us, it’s like the loss of a family member, so we have a lot of heartbroken people right now. We are working to support each other and care for the animals we love,” a spokesperson from the Indianapolis Zoo told PEOPLE.

Nyack and Zuri had peacefully cohabited for eight years. Daily logs kept by the lion’s caretakers show no notes of aggressive behavior between the a pair, or any injuries.

The zoo has no current plans to change how their remaining lions are currently housed. Zuri lives in an exhibit with her daughter Sukari. The lioness’ two sons live in another enclosure. According to the zoo’s spokesperson, once male lions reach adulthood, they are kept apart from their mother and female siblings, so it has been some time since Zuri and her sons have shared the same space.

While the review of the incident continues, the zoo is focusing on remembering and honoring Nyack.

“Nyack was a magnificent lion and he will be greatly missed. We appreciate the support from our community as we cope with the loss,” reads the zoo’s Facebook post about Nyack’s death.