DanMargarita.com

Binti's previous mate, Ndugu died while under anesthesia for a physical. A medical malpractice suit brought by Binti is still pending. Legal experts expect that her estate will continue the suit.

Born Carol Goldberg in Buffalo, Binti changed her name after converting to Islam. Her mother Barbara, when reached for comment said, "So, I'm never gonna have grandchildren?"

When zoo workers discovered the body, authorities were called in and immediately sealed off the area. Sources say that they suspected foul play from the beginning.

Investigators began questioning suspects upon arriving at the scene, beginning with the monkeys who were in a nearby exhibit. According to sources, one monkey claimed to see nothing. Another monkey claimed to hear nothing, and a third pleaded the Fifth Amendment.

Investigators were initially thrown off the track by the presence of a bloody glove at the scene, suggesting that the murder was committed by zookeeper, in the lion's cage, with a lead pipe.

Lawyers for the zookeeper claimed that the glove was planted on the scene to implicate their client, however it was determined later that the glove was there as a result of a game of tug-of-war, and that the blood was that of Cliff, who suffered from gingivitis.

The murder had actually been committed in November but had been kept quite by zoo officials. This has led to charges of a cover-up, and some claim that the U.S. Government was behind the murder due to Binti's often radical stances regarding animal rights.

Cliff, the alleged murderer had been brought in from West Palm Beach, Fla. along with another male, Chris, after Ndugu's death in the hopes that one of them would mate with Binti. Chris showed no interest in Binti and was in fact openly hostile to her in their initial meeting, and was only friendly with other male lions.

Authorities are now looking into Cliff's background to see if he may have been involved with any other unsolved murders while he was in Florida.

News of Cliff?s arrest shocked other zoo residents who described the male lion as handsome, friendly and charming.

"He's the last creature in the world I would have suspected," said another animal who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

Authorities only began to suspect Cliff after getting DNA results from the coroner that matched saliva found in the fatal wound, to Cliff. Cliff's lawyer, noted attorney Johnnie Cocharan gave a hint as to what his legal strategy might be when he told members of the press, "We know that historically DNA evidence has been tampered with. If it's not your spit, you must acquit!"

One distraught zoo official described Cliff as "an animal" who "belongs behind bars."