Coroner's office says lion escaped cage to attack woman

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: KOMO News

DUNLAP, Calif. (AP) - A lion that killed a woman at a privately owned Central California zoo escaped from a feeding cage and attacked while she was cleaning his enclosure, authorities said Thursday. Fresno County Coroner David Hadden said Dianna Hanson, a 24-year-old intern described by her father as a "fearless" lover of big cats, died instantly when the 5-year-old lion broke her neck.

Hanson, from Brier, Wash., had been working for two months as an intern at Cat Haven, a 100-acre exotic zoo east of Fresno. The large enclosure where Hanson was killed includes a smaller cage where animals can be confined for feeding or when the large space is being cleaned. The lion known as Cous Cous somehow managed to open the gate, said Hadden, who was briefed by investigators.

"The lion had been fed, the young woman was cleaning the large enclosure, and the lion was in the small cage. The gate of the cage was partially open, which allowed the lion to lift it up with his paw," said Hadden. "He ran at the young lady."

In a letter posted to family and friends, the woman who had graduated in 2011 from Western Washington University with a bachelor's degree in ecology, evolution and biology talked about falling in love with exotic cats. After meeting a Washington couple with four tigers, she was hooked. "For the last two and a half years I have been learning how to care for these animals and come next February, my father has given me a plane ticket" to Kenya, she enthusiastically wrote, adding later: "As my mother can tell you, I have had the goals of working with big cats since she adopted a tiger in my name when I was 7. I'm getting there."


Read more: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Coroners-office-says-lion-escaped-cage-to-attack-196222211.html

---

I just wanted to post this update after I read the initial thread in Breaking News yesteday. Some of the comments were awful and insensitive, saying this young woman deserved the Darwin award, calling her stupid, etc.

It would appear the incident was not her fault.

I was upset about the comments because my daughter is in the same science program at the same university where this young woman just graduated. So, for me, I can't imagine the pain the family must feel, knowing their daughter was interested in making a difference in the world by focusing on a career based on wildlife conservation.

The story is incredibly tragic--for both the young woman's familly and for the facility, which put down the 5-year-old lion.

[Greybnk48]

1. This was clearly an accident-nothing stupid or diabolical.

I hate it when people react to accidents this way where there must be a villain SOMEWHERE.

I feel sad for the young lady and her family and friends, and that the lion's life had to be ended for doing what comes naturally. A sad accident.

[fitman]

24. Vile disgusting freepers

are laughing at this "libtards" death... Never saw so many disgusting comments about this poor woman. Comments like "libtard..the other white meat"



http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2994766/posts?page=51

[DallasNE]

45. It Was An Accident That Should Not Have Happened

Someone was careless in not securing the gate on the cage. If it was secure then the lion could not have managed to open it and attack this young woman so someone needs to answer for this carelessness.

[FourScore]

2. My first guess was that it was something like this.

My heart goes out to her family and to her boyfriend who watched her get mauled.

Thank you for posting.

[Sunlei]

3. something as simple as leaving a gate not secure.

Volunteers should not be left alone with that critical responsibility.

[Baclava]

4. This article says she was talking on her cell phone as it happened

Distracted and talking on your cell while in a lion's cage? How is that not dumb?



"Hanson was talking with a co-worker on a cellphone in the moments before she was killed, the coroner said. The co-worker became concerned when the conversation ended abruptly and Hanson failed to call back. The co-worker then called authorities when she went to check on Hanson"


http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130307/NEWS/130309962/updated-8212-snohomish-county-woman-killed-by-lion-was-on

[pnwmom]

5. And how are judgmental comments helpful in the face of this tragedy?

The point about the cell phone is fine. But you didn't have to add the scornful comment afterwards. How do you know she wasn't supposed to be talking to the co-worker on the phone? The phone going dead was why they sent someone to check on her.

[Baclava]

6. still sounds too distracted to me - 'Seconds from disaster'

it's usually a chain of events that leads to accidents

[jeff47]

9. So you're operating under the illusion that a person can outrun a lion? (nt)

[Baclava]

10. I guess we'll never know how things could have turned out differently

shit happens for a reason

[jeff47]

11. No, shit just happens.

Seriously, I want to hear your scenario where the woman not being on the cell phone would make a difference. She hears the cage open and then.........?

[Baclava]

12. depends on how close she was to her exit - maybe her back was turned to the lion

who knows if she could have escaped if she wasn't on the phone

you weren't there and neither was I, the coroner mentioned it, so maybe there's something to it

[jeff47]

13. So she runs for the gate, and then the lion easily shoves its way through when she tries to close it

you weren't there and neither was I

Yet you felt it was reasonable to blame the intern for being distracted by her cell phone.

[Baclava]

16. Full grown lions are dangerous, mkay?

One factor could have been changed and the outcome might have been different, so the big cat got the jump on her for whatever reason, and that was that.

I'm not "blaming" her for anything, it sucks her and the lion were killed, but I wouldn't be handling venomous snakes while talking on the phone either. But that's just me.

[jeff47]

17. So you think calling her dumb is not blaming her?

You have an odd definition of "blame".

One factor could have been changed and the outcome might have been different

Yet you've been unable to explain any reasonable way it could have been different. Lions are much faster than people. They're also quite a bit stronger.

The only reasonable scenario in which this intern could have avoided the lion would be if she was standing at the gate to the enclosure with her hand on the gate, ready to slam it shut and lock it. Presumably, it's pretty hard to clean a large enclosure from that position.

Yet you call her dumb for talking on a cell phone, as if that was the deciding factor.

[Baclava]

18. Doesn't really matter what I think - she's dead - one swat from a paw

From a risk assessment point of view, that's one job you can have.

[jeff47]

19. So why dance on her grave?

Your first reply up there screams "look at the dumb kid! She's so fixed to her cell phone that it killed her!"

[Baclava]

22. sounds like you're adding your own prejudices there, sport

I'll say whatever the fuck I want to say. I just happened to read the whole report on what the coroner said - and he mentioned cellphone.

just like working around dangerous machinery, you have to be extra careful, that's all

[jeff47]

25. Hey, I'm not the one calling her dumb.

You are.

You are calling a dead woman dumb for doing something that had no effect on whether or not she lived or died. You might as well have been calling her dumb for her hairstyle. Or that the victim of a drunk driver should have worn a different color shirt.

I'll say whatever the fuck I want to say.

Not saying you can't. I'm saying you should live up to what you say instead of trying to weasel out of it.

[Baclava]

28. I didn't call her dumb - that's you projecting

I said using a cellphone while working with lions is dumb - general semantics.

[jeff47]

29. Wow, that's a really pathetic attempt at weaseling out of it.

Seriously, just embrace the fact that you called the victim of a lion attack dumb.

Or realize that calling her dumb is maybe just a tad wrong.

[Baclava]

32. your bullying will get you nowhere with me

go have some toast

[jeff47]

36. Recounting your own words is bullying?

You have the most fascinating definitions for common words.

[Baclava]

37. I'm just trying to get an idea why she was killed, attacking others for their thoughts is your job

Whether Hanson was performing a function that placed her in danger is being investigated by Cal-OSHA, which also is trying to determine if employees were properly instructed about potential danger, as required.

"There should have been procedures that very clearly stated what the employees were required to do in order to not get killed," said agency spokesman Peter Melton, who added that documentation about the warning had not yet been provided by Cat Haven.

Dale Anderson said that he's the only person allowed in the enclosure when lions are present.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57573176/lion-killed-woman-as-she-was-cleaning-enclosure/

[pnwmom]

41. You said, "How is that not dumb?" A callous and snarky reaction, IMO. n/t

[tabasco]

48. That's the great thing about open exchange of ideas!

People can display their assholery for all to see, and other can react accordingly.

Thanks!

[tabasco]

52. She was using a walkie-talkie provided by the facility

The usual suspects, proclaiming their greater knowledge, always seem to be wrong.

[rhett o rick]

15. I find you line of argument pathetic and cruel. nm

[Baclava]

20. Life is cruel

but my fish love me

[tabasco]

49. For you...

indeed, it is.

[somethingshiny]

50. I think fear

is what it's really about. Whenever someone blames a victim, or implies that their plight is due to stupidity, it's just thinly disguised fear. The person has to rationalize, "this could never happen to me", rather than face the fact that bad things can and do happen to people, often through no fault of their own. They always seem to know exactly what the person should have done...

[rhett o rick]

51. Very well put. And welcome to DU. nm

[bitchkitty]

31. No, but

see, if she hadn't been on the phone, she would have been able to point her finger at the lion and say "down, boy!" or grabbed a chair and a whip....

Sarcasm evident I hope. I feel so bad for this poor young lady and hope she died a painless death.

[Baclava]

35. or maybe the LION just wanted to play - like a big kitty cat?

When the attack occurred, Anderson said that he and two other Cat Haven workers had left to take a cheetah to exhibit at a local school. Hanson and another worker were left behind.

Whether Hanson was performing a function that placed her in danger is being investigated by Cal-OSHA, which also is trying to determine if employees were properly instructed about potential danger, as required.

"There should have been procedures that very clearly stated what the employees were required to do in order to not get killed," said agency spokesman Peter Melton, who added that documentation about the warning had not yet been provided by Cat Haven.

The owner of the zoo said Thursday that safety protocols were in place but he would not discuss them because they are a part of the law enforcement investigation.

Dale Anderson said that he's the only person allowed in the enclosure when lions are present.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57573176/lion-killed-woman-as-she-was-cleaning-enclosure/

[frylock]

38. are you suggesting she could've fended off the attack if not on her phone?

or that she could've reacted in time to a lion that likely cleared the distance between he and the victim in one leap? or are you just one of those people that hates cell phones and all people that use them because you struggle to use one yourself?

[Baclava]

40. I don't think she should have been in there at all if it wasn't safe.

but then I'm not lion handler enough to know what is safe - phone, cage, procedures - all could have contributed to her death

[frylock]

44. it sounds like someone was careless in ensuring that the feeding cage was properly latched..

whether she or someone else was responsible for that is something I have yet to read.

[valerief]

7. Remind me again why we need to cage big cats at all. Not you, OPer, but anyone. nt

[geek tragedy]

14. Well, the alternative would be to euthanize the cats in question.

They're not going to be released into the wild.

[valerief]

21. But why are they there in the first place? Leave them in the wild to begin with.

Leave them some wild to be left in. Ban ownership here.

They're just too dangerous--like an angry teabagger with an arsenal.

[geek tragedy]

23. A lot of them are born in captivity.

Moreover, lions in Africa and tigers in India are already faced with habitat shortage.

You can't just release lions and tigers into an area where they're not a native species.

[fitman]

26. "But why are they there in the first place? Leave them in the wild to begin with."

It's good thing we have these preserves if not many of these animals would have been extinct long ago. These preserves breed them and protect them and send them to other preserves for a good genetic mix.

Would it be better if they were all in the wild running free? yes, but we live in a cruel world.

[CTyankee]

46. It would be best if they had they're own environment, if we could keep those areas safe

from hunters. It is really unnatural to breed them in preserves. But I am not totally unsympathetic to their plight in the wild, either (don't know if they would have gone extinct, but I am not an expert on this). Of course, nature in the raw is pretty cruel due to all kinds of things including drought, extremes in weather, and the predatory instinct needed just to survive.

[Beacool]

8. It was an unfortunate accident.

People are always so quick to judge. Poor girl, may she rest in peace.

Good luck to your daughter in her studies.

[savalez]

30. I'm with you Mrs Overall.

Thanks for posting this.

[Auggie]

33. R.I.P. to them both: Ms. Hanson and Cous Cous

Very unfortunate and very unnecessary deaths.

[hamsterjill]

34. Accidents happen unfortunately.

None of us are perfect. She may have secured that gate a gazillion times before the accident, and on this day tragically, something simply happened. She was doing what she loved, and that activity was a dangerous one.

That said, I find it sad that the facility chose to kill the lion. The lion was simply being the wild creature that she was. It does not bring back the dead young lady for the facility to have killed the lion.

[Ed Suspicious]

39. I think "Darwin Award" comments should be a TOS violation. It's creepy the lack of empathy people

who use that phrase exhibit.

[Xithras]

43. Some people do deserve it, but I agree that it gets tossed around too freely.

I've seen many instances like this one, where someone will call a dead person a Darwin Award candidate, and it will later turn out that they weren't at fault for their deaths.

I have little empathy for truly stupid people who kill themselves doing truly stupid things, but there's no excuse for smearing the dead like that before we even know what the full story is. The original thread on her death was unnecessarily dark and cruel.

[MFM008]

42. shes dead

her, the animal and this conversation should RIP.

[RebelOne]

47. Agreed. Let's put this subject to rest. n/t