More details on lion killing

[madisen]

news.yahoo.com/woman-killed-caged-lion-california-died-suddenly-broken-005711456.html

Lion slipped out of holding pen before killing sanctuary worker

<cite class="byline vcard">By Laila Kearney | Reuters – <abbr title="2013-03-08T19:23:32Z">2 hrs 21 mins ago</abbr></cite>

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The African lion that killed a California wildlife sanctuary worker had slipped out of its holding pen, which apparently was left improperly secured, and crept up on the woman inside a larger enclosure to attack her, the coroner said on Friday.

Dianna Hanson, 24, an intern at the Cat Haven sanctuary east of Fresno, died almost instantly on Wednesday after the big cat, a male named Cous Cous weighing at least 400 pounds (181 kg), snapped her neck, according to an autopsy conducted on Thursday.

Hanson was cleaning the larger enclosure when the lion escaped from its holding pen, apparently by lifting a gate that slides open and shut vertically, Fresno County Coroner Dr. David Hadden told Reuters.

"The gate is kind of like a guillotine. It comes down and hits the base of the ground. If that gate wasn't all the way down, the lion could have put its paw under the gate and pushed it up, and the gate is designed so that it would stay up," he said. Hadden said the lion was being fed at the time, though he was not sure if Hanson was the one who left food for the animal.

"The lion did not touch its food. It was more interested in what she was doing, and it ran in and attacked her," he said. "she had been talking on her cell phone shortly before the attack and we found a damaged cell phone on the scene."

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A security guard stands by the gate of the Cat Haven sanctuary near Dunlop, California, March 7, 2013, the day after a lion killed a volunteer intern that entered its cage at the facility. The ... more

A security guard stands by the gate of the Cat Haven sanctuary near Dunlop, California, March 7, 2013, the day after a lion killed a volunteer intern that entered its cage at the facility. The 24-year-old intern, who was killed by a 350-pound male Barbary lion named Cous Cous, apparently liked to get close to big cats, and state officials on Thursday said they are investigating why she was inside an enclosure with the predator and what caused the attack. REUTERS/Steve Keleher (UNITED STATES - Tags: ANIMALS) less

On Thursday, Hadden said autopsy results showed the intern, who was from the Seattle area, "died almost instantly from a fractured neck." He added that the autopsy also showed bite and claw marks on Hanson from "the lion playing with the body like a cat would play with a mouse."

Sheriff's deputies shot and killed the lion as they tried to reach Hanson, authorities said.

State officials on Thursday performed a necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, and found the lion to be in "good body condition," with solid muscle composition, a healthy coat and proper nourishment, Janice Mackey, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said on Friday.

A pathologist also examined the lion's brain and took tissue, blood and hair samples to determine whether any underlying health issues, such as neurological disorders or diseases like rabies, might have caused the attack. Full test results are not expected for a couple of weeks, Mackey said.

The initial necropsy report put the lion's weight at between 400 and 500 pounds, heavier than the 350 pounds earlier cited by authorities.

Hanson had begun what was to be a six-month internship at the private sanctuary in January after spending six months in Kenya last year working on a wild feline reserve. She earned a biology degree in 2011 from Western Washington University.

Cat Haven, a 100-acre (16-hectare) sanctuary in Dunlap, California, run by the group Project Survival, has been closed until further notice. It was founded "to exhibit a variety of wild cats and engage public support for their conservation in the wild via specific projects," according to its website.

On Thursday, Cat Haven founder Dale Anderson told reporters he could not comment on the circumstances of Hanson's death or the sanctuary's safety protocols. "Our whole staff is just ... it's devastating," he said as he broke down in tears.

He said the facility has been "incident free" since opening in 1998, and California officials confirmed they had never responded to any emergency there prior to Wednesday's death.

The 4-year-old Barbary lion that killed Hanson was of a species that is extinct in the wild, said Mackey, whose agency oversees the permit that allows the sanctuary to operate.

The lion had been handled by humans since it was weeks old, and was one of two Barbary lions at the facility. Several years ago, when it was a cub, Cous Cous also made an appearance on the talk show "Ellen," Mackey said.

(Additional reporting by Stephen Keleher in Dunlap, California; Laura L. Myers in Seattle and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, David Gregorio and Lisa Shumaker)

[SusanBAnthony]

Eek. Poor girl. At least it was fast.

If it wasn't really fast, I hope they lied about it.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

The 4-year-old Barbary lion that killed Hanson was of a species that is extinct in the wild 


It's scary that this lion literally hunted her. But why would it want dead food when it can hunt live prey? Hi, it's a lion. It's just terribly sad all around. Keeping animals in captivity for any purpose other than rehabilitating the species is more and more deplorable to me.

[ttt]

So she was just cleaning the cage and he escaped from another cage and attacked her???

Also this part:


A pathologist also examined the lion's brain and took tissue, blood and
hair samples to determine whether any underlying health issues, such as
neurological disorders or diseases like rabies, might have caused the
attack. Full test results are not expected for a couple of weeks, Mackey
said.

Test results showed that the lion was...being a lion.

[ttt]

Mar 8, 2013 16:54:12 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Eek. Poor girl. At least it was fast.

If it wasn't really fast, I hope they lied about it.

That's what I was thinking too

[rosiedozie]

It seems weird to say it, but I'm glad that it was an accident rather than her breaking protocol. I'm glad that they believe that it was quick for her.

[rosiedozie]

Mar 8, 2013 17:02:12 GMT -5 ttt said:

Test results showed that the lion was...being a lion.

I thought the same thing - is anyone really surprised that a wild predatory animal killed when given the chance? That's what they're designed to do.

[pescalita]

Mar 8, 2013 17:05:21 GMT -5 rosiedozie said:

Mar 8, 2013 17:02:12 GMT -5 ttt said:

Test results showed that the lion was...being a lion.

I thought the same thing - is anyone really surprised that a wild predatory animal killed when given the chance? That's what they're designed to do.

I thought the same thing too, but that's science - not assuming anything and instead making sure the observable data matches the hypothesis.

I am glad they're publicizing that it wasn't her fault. Sad for the girl and the lion.

[PinkSquirrel]

I'm really confused as to why they weren't able to shoot the lion with some kind of tranquilizer. It sad all around

[ttt]

Mar 8, 2013 17:16:54 GMT -5 pescalita said:

Mar 8, 2013 17:05:21 GMT -5 rosiedozie said:

I thought the same thing - is anyone really surprised that a wild predatory animal killed when given the chance? That's what they're designed to do.

I thought the same thing too, but that's science - not assuming anything and instead making sure the observable data matches the hypothesis.

I am glad they're publicizing that it wasn't her fault. Sad for the girl and the lion.

Sure - and if the lion did have some sort of illness that caused it to be unusually aggressive, I'm sure they'd want to know that for the sake of the other cats. Still, it just sounds funny.

But how awful for her, someone who was clearly so dedicated to these animals

[Deleted]

Not to gloss over the horrible tragedy of her death but the fact that they just killed an animal that is extinct in the wild...

There's just nothing good at all about this story.

[sushi]

I thought tranqs didn't take effect soon enough, so that's why they had to kill.

Also, I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's SOP to kill wild animals after they've eaten people so that they don't develop a taste for our McD's and soda flavored bodies.

[emisi]

Mar 8, 2013 17:04:26 GMT -5 rosiedozie said:

It seems weird to say it, but I'm glad that it was an accident rather than her breaking protocol. I'm glad that they believe that it was quick for her.

I agree with this. I feel much more sorry for her, knowing it was an accident and not her going into the sanctuary when she knew she wasn't supposed to and for no reason, like other stories have made it out to be.  It's also sad that a lion that is extinct in the wild had to be shot.     Sad all around.

[msmerymac]

Mar 8, 2013 18:27:42 GMT -5 sushi said:

I thought tranqs didn't take effect soon enough, so that's why they had to kill.

Also, I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's SOP to kill wild animals after they've eaten people so that they don't develop a taste for our McD's and soda flavored bodies.

In the wild, yes, but the chances that a lion would escape again and kill again when he hadn't before? I mean, it seems like it was a tragic mistake. I guess it COULD happen again, but it's not exactly the same as that grizzly bear in Denali who ate the hiker last year. 

[pescalita]

Mar 8, 2013 18:27:42 GMT -5 sushi said:

I thought tranqs didn't take effect soon enough, so that's why they had to kill.

Also, I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's SOP to kill wild animals after they've eaten people so that they don't develop a taste for our McD's and soda flavored bodies.

To the first yes, where there is danger to human life you can't mess around with tranqs. They are unpredictable and slow, and if you can get it to kick in quick enough to get to the victim, a rescuer could be put in danger. Using tranqs for research/captive animal care and transport is a very careful exercise that moves about the speed of molasses in January (until you're sure they're out and then - QUICK!).

There was hand wringing after the SF Zoo incident too, and even Jack Hanna said there's just no choice. It's really sad all around, but everyone did what they needed to do.

[gault]

I think the zoo is protecting their ass. What if the lion DID get out again and eat someone? Major lawsuit on top of lawsuit. You didn't put the lion down when you had a chance and it attacked again, etc


I think it's sad, too, but I see why they did it.

[ringstrue]

Killing by hunting is a skill. Unless this cat was taken from the wild my guess from these findings is that he just was just messing around- wrestling-style and broke her neck unintentionally. Which is interesting because often legit zoos try to make their cats as people friendly as possible. I wonder how much people interaction this animal had?

Considering it was a male I'm not horribly worried about him being put down. If he was part of a legit breeding program they'd have semen set aside already.

[ttt]

The last female Barbary lion died so there is no real hope of bringing them back anyway

bigcatrescue.org/barbary-lions/

[ttt]

The comments on this article are making me a bit about the facility.

[ringstrue]

I know legit zoos have their issues too, as we've seen, but all these other "private zoos" really make my skin crawl and they can run the spectrum to almost totally as legit as a real zoo to absolutely horrifying. It seems like this place wasn't among the worst of the BUT it's just proof that keeping animals safe and secure and happy is a really hard ongoing and probably expensive en devour.

[Deleted]

I would think a good policy for big cats would be a two person system...one person to clean and one person to have eyes on the cat the whole time.

It seems obvious to me but maybe it's not.

[ttt]

Mar 9, 2013 7:53:05 GMT -5 @mrsesterhouse said:

I would think a good policy for big cats would be a two person system...one person to clean and one person to have eyes on the cat the whole time.

It seems obvious to me but maybe it's not.

Or a policy to ensure that all the doors to animal enclosures are securely locked.

Even if another person could see that the animal was about to attack, I'm not sure they could do much about it. They're so fast, and it seems this woman was killed pretty much instantly.

[pescalita]

Yeah this is an animal sanctuary in BFE central valley. It's not a zoo. I'm glad there are places to care for these animals who are usually rescued and often injured from sad previous lives, but they don't exactly have the resources and protocols of an AZA facility. When I was young and reckless and wanted to be Jane Goodall for big cats I would have given my left arm to work at a place like that, but it might have been more literal than I expected.

[foundmylazybum]

Mar 8, 2013 19:55:36 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

Killing by hunting is a skill. Unless this cat was taken from the wild my guess from these findings is that he just was just messing around- wrestling-style and broke her neck unintentionally. Which is interesting because often legit zoos try to make their cats as people friendly as possible. I wonder how much people interaction this animal had?

Considering it was a male I'm not horribly worried about him being put down. If he was part of a legit breeding program they'd have semen set aside already.

^o) What is your basis and evidence for this statement?

[Deleted]

Tragic all the way around.

[rosebud]

"The lion did not touch its food. It was more interested in what she was doing, and it ran in and attacked her," he said. "she had been talking on her cell phone shortly before the attack and we found a damaged cell phone on the scene."

Maybe it's just me, but chatting on my cell while within *any* type of large animal pen just doesn't seem like a great idea. Reminds me distracted driving and how under even the best circumstances its a bad idea...

[ttt]

Mar 10, 2013 15:00:46 GMT -5 rosebud said:

"The lion did not touch its food. It was more interested in what she was doing, and it ran in and attacked her," he said. "she had been talking on her cell phone shortly before the attack and we found a damaged cell phone on the scene."

Maybe it's just me, but chatting on my cell while within *any* type of large animal pen just doesn't seem like a great idea. Reminds me distracted driving and how under even the best circumstances its a bad idea...

Apparently she was on the phone with a co-worker, discussing the work they were doing. There's some inconsistency as to whether it was a cell phone or a walkie talkie.