Zira, as a pridemember, was trusted by Kopa, and she led the young prince to a secluded area with promises that there was something �cool� to show him and his friends Nuka and Afua were waiting for him. But when they were far from Pride Rock, the vicious lioness pounced, pinning the surprised cub to the ground. She killed him with a crushing bite; but not before she had a large chunk of her ear ripped off by the terrified cub as he tried in vain to defend himself. Zira attempted to make it look as if Kopa had been attacked by a rogue- as her own brother had been when he was a cub; however there was no denying the evidence- a chunk of Zira�s ear, found lying near the battered, bloody body of the young prince.