CASWELL COUNTY, N.C. -- The sheriff's office in Caswell County is confirming that a lion mauled and killed an employee at the Conservators Center.

• That nature conservatory is located just north of Burlington
• The lion was shot and killed after the attack
• The Conservator Center is closed until further notice

The nature conservatory is located just north of Burlington.

In a release, the conservatory says the lion escaped a locked enclosure, while the husbandry team was carrying out a routine cleaning.

The lion was shot and killed after the attack after unsuccessful attempts to tranquilize it. 

The victim, 22-year-old Alexandra Black, was a college intern and had been employed at the Conservator Center for approximately two weeks after graduation. 

The executive director of the center called it the worst day of her life, and says there's always a risk working with powerful animals.

 “A wild animal is a wild animal. There are animals that have lived their entire lifetimes here, but that doesn’t mean that I would treat them as if they weren’t a wild animal. Like I said you can love something and it can love you and that doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to be with that animal,” said Mindy Stinner.

A police report on the incident says it took three tranquilizer darts and eight bullets to bring down the lion.

A report from Caswell County Animal Control says the lion's rabies vaccination had lapsed.

The animal is being taken to a state lab for a necropsy and rabies testing.