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Posted: 13th March 2013

California sanctuary reopens after attack
Lion attack death thought to be an accident

A California wildlife sanctuary reopened on Sunday after a 24-year-old intern was killed in a lion attack last week.

According to David Haden, Fresno County Coroner, the lion escaped a smaller pen, and attacked intern Dianna Hanson while she cleaned a larger area of the enclosure.

The lion, known as Cous Cous, was fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy in an effort to stop the attack, but the coroner's report states that Dianna died immediately of a broken neck.

With the permission of her family, Cat Haven has reopened and is resuming normal operations. The private zoo, which is run by the not-for-profit organisation Project Survival, observed a moment of silence for Dianna.

Speaking in response to the incident, Craig Packer, ecologist at the University of Minnesota said: "It's easy to forget that [lions] react to meat with the reflexive instincts of a shark…these attacks happen when people forget about the shark inside."

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, said: "We believe this was an accident, an error." Hanson's family reportedly believe the death was accidental, and protocols were followed at Cat Haven.

It was announced last week that a fund has been set up in Hanson's memory, and her family have urged people to donate to the wildlife organisations she loved, including Cat Haven.



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