Coroner's office says lion escaped cage to attack woman [View all]
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.
= new reply since forum marked as read