Posted on 03/07/2013 2:52:57 PM PST by ilovesarah2012
DUNLAP, Calif. (AP) - Authorities are trying to determine what provoked a lion at an exotic animal park in Central California to attack and maul to death a 24-year-old intern from Washington state.
She was attacked and killed Wednesday when she entered the male African lion's enclosure at Cat Haven, about 45 miles east of Fresno, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies found her severely injured and still lying inside the enclosure with the lion nearby, said Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Bob Miller.
Another park worker couldn't lure the lion into another pen, so deputies shot and killed it to safely reach the wounded woman, but she died at the scene, he said.
Paul Hanson, a Seattle-area attorney, identified the victim as his daughter, Dianna Hanson, of the north Seattle suburb of Brier, Wash. He said he dropped her off at Cat Haven on Jan. 2 for a six-month internship.
"It was just a dream job for her," he told The Associated Press late Wednesday, adding that she hoped to parlay work at the facility into a job with a zoo later in the summer. He said she gave him a little tour and showed him the lion Cous Cous that authorities said killed her.
Hanson said his daughter had worked with big cats before and "was absolutely fearless," though she told him she would not be allowed to go in the lion cage.
(Excerpt) Read more at komonews.com ...
Birds gotta fly, lions gotta eat.
another eco-nut?
remember the guy in NYC who did this last year?
I wrote a parody of that guy:
http://asspos.blogspot.com/2012/09/i-want-to-marry-tiger.html
Anyone that has ever owned a house cat should know better than getting in the cage with any large cat.
Cats are given to random playful roughousing that is bad enough for a 10 pounder. They don’t know where to draw the line.
Its not likely that the lion intended to kill; they play rough with their own cubs too.
>> “another eco-nut?” <<
.
Or a feather-head.
Like “Rene” in Colorado that reached through the tiger cage to rub the tiger’s nose, and ended up feeding him.
Really? A young woman, with little common sense (obviously), enters the enclosure of a LION, said lion does what lions do, and they need to determine a cause?
I really blame the portrayal of wild animals as something other than what they are. That they need OUR protection. Never is it emphasized that wild animals are unpredictable and deadly. Beautiful to look at; but, only those professionals that have worked with animals like this for years should be allowed anywhere near their cages.
From TV news reports - she was one of only two employees on duty that day. Feeding time for the lion was at 10:00 a.m. and no-one knows why she was in the enclosure at 12:00.
Her father’s description of her ‘passion’ indicates she may have had a ‘fatal attraction’ AKA a special connection to these dangerous animals. It seems she over-estimated her capability to control and under-estimated the natural predator instincts of the lion.
She sadly played with fire. RIP.
Was she on her period? Apparently even a trained lion will attack a woman on her period.
That’s what can happen when you give up your spot at the top of the food chain.
Life imitating art.
I expect the Dog Whisperer and other TV shows inspire a lot of young people to careers in veterinary medicine.
This ‘romantic’ young woman wanted to be another Joy Adamson as in Born Free.
Why did it attack? ‘Cause it’s a lion!
YOU are exactly right. That’s why we sleep with our bedroom door LOCKED...to keep our 13 lb cat at bay...He can be VERY mean...and I could just see him going for a jugular in the middle of the night...just for the fun of it!
There’s a reason they’re called wild animals. RIP.
Shouldn't we wait for the lion to publish a review first.
I can’t think of a good reason for her to go into his cage, it cost her life and the cat’s life also. Link to pics of the cat: http://cathaven.com/Galleries.aspx?catid=10
Fearless creatures generally go extinct, unless they have the means to deal with any threat to their well-being, ranging from being able to outrun or eliminate that threat.
Exactly. It seems she was over-excited about her job to the point of not thinking.
“Absolutely fearless?” That’s not smart when working with wild animals, especially big ones. And I say that as a lifelong animal lover.
It’s a tragedy. God be with her family.
It’s sad when nature intrudes on fantasy. Poor kid.
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