A lion killed a female volunteer at an exotic wildcat park in California Wednesday, FOX News reports March 7. The woman was a 24-year-old by the name of Dianna Hanson who was eager to begin her six-month internship at the large cat facility.
Hanson went inside the four-year-old male lion's enclosure when the animal mauled and killed her. Since Cat Haven is normally closed Wednesdays and only one worker was on the property, investigators are trying to figure out why Hanson was there.
When law enforcement arrived, they spotted Hanson on the ground severely injured while the lion was close by. Police had to shoot and kill the lion in order to get to Hanson.
Hanson's body was identified by her father.
The lion that killed the female volunteer was named Cous Cous and had been at the sanctuary since he was eight weeks old. Hanson had posted several photos of the large cats from the park on her Facebook page, including Cous Cous.
Cat Haven in Dunlap has a good history and follows all regulations. They have passed numerous inspections and are permitted to have exotic animals by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are also regulated as a zoo by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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