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Paul Hanson / AP
This undated photo provided by Paul Hanson shows his sister, Dianna Hanson, a 24-year-old intern at the Cat Haven in Dunlap, Calif., who was killed by a lion .
SAN FRANCISCO — A 24-year-old intern killed by an African lion at a California wildlife sanctuary died suddenly after the big cat broke her neck, a coroner said on Thursday as investigators probed why the worker had been inside the animal's enclosure.
The Cat Haven sanctuary east of Fresno remained closed on Thursday, a day after Dianna Hanson was killed by a 350-lb male Barbary lion named Cous Cous that attacked her inside a pen. Hanson was from the Seattle area.
"The young lady did not suffer because she died almost instantly from a fractured neck," Fresno County Coroner Dr. David Hadden told Reuters.
An autopsy conducted on Thursday showed bite and claw marks on Hanson from "the lion playing with the body like a cat would play with a mouse," Hadden said.
The coroner also said the lion escaped its cage to kill Hanson while she was cleaning the enclosure.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health sent two inspectors with questions such as whether the sanctuary allowed the woman to enter the enclosure, said agency spokesman Peter Melton.
"We'll find out exactly what she was doing and what her job duties were and whether she was following the procedures as they were supposed to be done," Melton said.
The death was the latest of a handful of high-profile incidents involving big cats in captivity in the United States in recent years, and comes less than six months after a man leapt into a tiger's den at the Bronx Zoo, sustaining multiple injuries.
Hanson's Facebook page showed pictures of her standing or sitting next to big cats, apparently in enclosures, and she had worked on a wild feline reserve in Africa. Her father has told a television station she liked to get close to big cats.
"I've always had a premonition this would happen," Paul Hanson told Seattle television station KING 5. "She really loved getting up close and personal with the animals."
Stringer / Reuters
A security guard stands by the gate of the Cat Haven sanctuary near Dunlop, California, March 7.
Cat Haven is a 100-acre sanctuary in Dunlap, California, run by the group Project Survival. 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 the park's website.
Dale Anderson, founder of the facility, told reporters outside the gates of his facility that he could not comment on the circumstances of Hanson's death or the safety protocols at Cat Haven. "Our whole staff is just ... it's devastating," he said as he broke down in tears.
Passion for cats
Hanson, who graduated in 2011 from Western Washington University with a degree in biology, had spent six months in Kenya last year working on a wild feline reserve.
In 2011 and 2012, Hanson also volunteered in Seattle for the Snow Leopard Trust, which seeks ways to protect the endangered species, the organization said.
The 4-year-old Barbary lion that killed Hanson was of a species that is extinct in the wild, said Janice Mackey, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which oversaw 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.
The lion was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies as they tried to reach Hanson, authorities said. On Thursday, a necropsy was performed on the lion to determine if it suffered from any health problems that could have led to the attack, Mackey said.
Anderson, Cat Haven's founder, said the facility has been "incident free" since it opened in 1998, and California officials confirmed they had never responded to any emergency at the facility similar to Wednesday's death.
The death comes less than six months after a man leapt into a Siberian tiger's den at the Bronx Zoo and sustained multiple injuries. In 2010, a lion attacked a trainer at a glass-encased enclosure at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The trainer survived.
In another high-profile incident involving captive cats in 2011, the owner of a private menagerie released dozens of tigers, lions and other animals in Ohio, and then killed himself. The case led some animal welfare groups to call for a ban on private ownership of exotic animals.
The California Department of Fish and Game permits private animal sanctuaries only if their goal is scientific research or public education, Mackey said.
Additional reporting by Stephen Keleher in Dunlap, California, and Laura L. Myers in Seattle
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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"The 4-year-old Barbary lion that killed Hanson was of a species that is extinct in the wild,"
Oh yea, tough guy around town.
I would venture a guess, that this young woman would be saddened to know this lion lost it's life. I can't help but wonder if the sheriff's dept. couldn't have tranq'd the lion, instead of shooting & killing it? Seems like a waste...first her life (clearly, doing what she loved) & the death of the endangered lion. Very tragic all the way around.
I don't understand why the sanctuary did not have a tranquilizer gun immediately available, I would think that would be a standard safety precaution for any organization that handles such animals.
A Tranq gun wouldn't have been able to save her, as it would take to long for the tranquilizer to sedate the lion, but it could have saved the lion's life. I agree, I think they could have saved the lion, only since it is extinct now in the wild. If it had been any other species that wasn't as rare, it wouldn't matter whether they kille dit or not.
I mean its possible, but is a lion that kills something really all that strange? Just because it had been raised in captivity, doesn't mean that it became civilized in some way. It's still a lion, and that's what lions do!
Rest in peace.
Her brother should have been able to come up with a better picture, at least one that doesn't show something protruding from her nose.
The cop is probably still gasping and trying to catch his breath, its not every day you get to shoot and kill a African Lion, and a extremely rare one at that. Why didn't the reserve have a Tranqulizer gun and a trained op.
Why was there not a redundant catch on that cage? this should not have happened!
Why is a African lion in California to begin with shouldn't it be in Africa?
The list of wrongs is continuous in this more than unfortunate story, I hope this brings attention to other facilities operated by people in the country that are a disaster waiting to happen. the cat was just being a cat, and this story is a good example of how people can make mistakes when it comes to dealing with animals, its not just incidences with cats, that would be narrow and half reporting this has been happening with frequency around the world with all sorts of animals we just have allot of inexperienced people working with animals they have no business with, Apes, Bears, wolves, Cats, Whales, Dolphins, Gators the list goes on and on. hay even a pig can make you disappear. the truth is its human error the animal is neutral. snakes will be a growing problem, but it will be man that caused the problem. leave the critters where you found them. its to bad things like this have to happen, especially when they don't have to happen.
Cops are generally dumb people. Guns just make them appear intelligent, as if they've thought through a situation of imminent distress. They're too dumb to think, so they shoot.
I'm glad to see there are some people here with sense, who see the cop's action was the right one--try to save the woman's life. He had no way of knowing she was already dead. The lion had to be shot.
Wow perp, painting with a wide brush this morning. So, tell us what did you get caught doing?
Perp, this cop is pretty stupid, yes - but it represents the broader picture of people stupid enough to keep these animals in captivity, and are shocked when things go down like this.
The silver lining here was that she didn't suffer through it and died instantly.
These stories ALWAYS end the same - the animals caged by us get offed by us when they act like the wild creatures they are.
If we can't be prepared to deal humanely with these animals then we have no right to contain them.
There needs to be a dart gun accessible. Bullets aren't the answer.
The lady working with the lion would be unhappy her cat is now dead. It's sad that she was killed but now there are two dead.
How is it that a gun toting cop got there before the zoo personnel??
People that complain about these animals in captivity don't take into consideration that their habitats are decimated by human population growth so unless they are maintained in captivity they would go extinct. The big problem here was why was the lion able to escape it's enclosure and why wasn't a a tranquilizer gun immediately available for such emergencies. In this case if the woman was killed instantly it wouldn't have saved her but it could have saved a species that is extinct in the wild. People blaming the cops for shooting the lion are jerks, they were put in a no win situation.
Perpetuate-I have to agree with the post wondering what iit is you got in trouble for. As in every career or group or job, there are some that are "bad apples". But to say that all cops are dumb people is an arrogant statement and way off the mark. I have worked with police closely in my jobs for 25 years and aside from a very few, they are all intelligent, caring and hard working people. They are not "dumb", as you think and wish everyone else to think. I think a lot of problems in our country would be solved if we remembered respect. Did they stop teaching that 20 years ago or so? Children learn by observation, so it must be their relatives and parents that are teaching them to not respect anymore. It's a quick way for things to turn to crap if you don't show some respect. Cops in particular deal with the worst of the worst daily, and they see death and violence daily. Take the time to find out what they do. They are not all after you. They are dealing with some heavy duty stuff and that takes a person that is not "dumb".
There are a lot of knee jerk statements here and I suppose that makes the person feel better. Tranquilizer darts take a while to work. If she was still alive the lion would have had quite a while to be chewing on her. Cops do what they must do.
Too bad about this young lady. I'm sure the last thing she saw was it's beautiful face, it's beautiful eyes. The problem was the gate latch.
I'm more curious as to why the girl was shown in photos standing next to these wild animals. Is this procedure or is this just yet another person who is obsessed with the wild power that these animals have. Perhaps she likes to think she has some mystical connection with these large carnivores and even shows this off on her facebook page. The animal did what it was supposed to do. I'm not so sure if anybody else around there did...
How prophetic!
There is data supporting the fact that animals do undergo changes in their mental functions based on their natural versus constrained environments. Despite the fact that people are trying to "help" the animals by going from restrictive cages to restrictive enclosures/"sanctuaries" the animals know they are restricted. Performing a necropsy does not address the animals' mental state - just its physical condition.
This is a terribly tragic event for everyone involved.
Wild animals should not be kept in cages.
And in the event something like this happens, the animal should not be killed.
Everything that lion was - was taken from him. He was not allowed to be a lion at all...just an object for humans to gawk at.
I'm sure this young woman would be heart broken that this lion lost his life - just doing what comes naturally to him...finally.
When will humans learn? When will humans begin to evolve?
You're so vain.
You probably think this post is about. You're so..
YOU'RE SO VAIN
You probably think this post is about you, don't you, don't you?
To anyone commenting on the picture provided by her brother, STFU. Your comments are ridiculous. The girl is beautiful and clearly led a selfless life, caring far more about the welfare of animals than this weekend's big sale at Macy's.
Indigo kid - there's a large body of evidence that shows if this lion hadn't been kept in a cage, you'd only be reading about it in a history book. The only thing keeping this species of lion's from absolute extinction are the conservationists... give them some credit.
It's admirable what this young lady devoted her life to. I'm a huge fan of big cats and would have been crushed to know they killed one, even though it killed me. When you take on this kind of work you are very much aware of the possible consequences. I can't help but think this day she wasn't following protocol for some reason.
Condolences to the family. May they both meet again in Heaven. RIP.
More than likely time was of the essence, they wouldn't have had time to get a tranquilizer under an immediate attack. She would need to be out of the lion's grasp asao. Besides a tranquilizer would take too long.
Are u saying if u were in such a situation, u'd rather authorities save the lion instead of u ?
The lion got its share in this one
Condolences to the family of the young lady for this unfortunate incident.
We are the intruders when dealing with wild animals. I think she would be sad they killed the lion. You are an idiot.
The lion got it's share? What a bonehead thing to say. The humans are the inbreds who try to capture and/or raise wild animals like F'n pets. Then they wonder why the animals, for no reason, snap.
Live by the lion die by the lion.
Speaking of lions, the blue lioness, in the picture, is about to pounce upon the security guard, and he is totally oblivious.
those blue lions are very thin. He isn't in danger.
You know the old saying, you play with fire, eventually you'll get burned...
Sprinkling bacon bits in their kitty litter was the CAT's MEOW!!!
A lot of people make the mistake that they are friends with these animals.
There are a lot of people, like this woman, who think that because they love wild dangerous animals, wild dangerous animals just love them back.
It would be interesting to find out if the victim was on her menstrual period. I know bears, monkeys, apes etc are very finely tuned to the smell and do all kinds of peculiar things when the smell it as visitors walk by their cage. A lion can smell blood and that could be what attracted Cous Cous.
Why did they have to kill the lion? So many good things could of been done with him. Just one example would be using him for rehabilitating pedophiles. Just put the pedophiles in the cage with him and when they are released after a year we could be assured that they would never touch a child again.
Plus it would keep the lion entertained. I see it as a win win.
Awesome idea! If we send all the child molesting Catholic priests into the cage, it will give new meaning to "Christians and Lions."
Better yet, send in all the decapitating muslim extremists in there.
Cous Cous was a captive from 8 weeks old. He trusted Cat Haven and it let him down. I doubt the story that Cous Cous opened a door with it's paw after food had been served! Seriously, only 2 people (and an intern was one) at a 90+ perserve at the time of this incident? Dale Anderson should not be allowed to have these animals. This would never have happened at the Shambala Perserve! and the idiot who shot Cous Cous should be fired! Cous Cous was a type of Lion on the endangered species list!
Nobody cares. A girl lost her life. Any human life is far more precious than this stupid lion.
Who gives a damn about tree hugging libtards and their endangered species list? The rotten animal attacked a human for no reason and was dealt swift justice. The cop gets a thumbs up from me.
I suspect responding officers arrived to find the lion "playing" with the victim's corpse. Those officers would not know if the victim was still alive so they took appropriate action to try and save her by killing the lion.
Stupid lion?? These accidents happen because of stupid people, not animals!
I agree with Kj and Darkrose. These lions are precious and almost extinct. Why did they not use a tranquilizer gun?
No 1 human life is more important than a lion's. Get your egos out of your ass and realize that wild "animals'' belong in the wild and when they are brought into human society then it is humanity's fault when things go wrong. This animal should not have been killed.
I love animals as much as anybody in this world, but a human being's life is far more important and if you don't think so then you need to get your head out of the clouds.
You feel like arguing philosophy, take that somewhere else.
If a person is potentially in critical condition or dead, you do whatever you can to save them even if you need to eradicate every f**king lion on earth.
You can bet that the last thing the young lady who lost her life would have wanted was for Cous Cous to be killed. Out of respect for her.... they should have let the lion live.
Rest in Peace Diana....The world is a better place because of the time you spent here and the work you did.
Too many humans as it is. I pick the lions over humans.
This tragedy could have easily been prevented if the hand guns did not exist.
Cody, you are absolutely right. Animals were not put on earth to entertain us and when we play with nature's plan, we are bound to be hurt. What a shame that this young lady had to die. She clearly loved and admired these cats. And, what a shame it is that a lion, who was put in a situation no wild animal should be in, lost his life because of man's self importance and to desire to dominate all animals.
Flatiron....
Rotten animal really? Why is it extinct in the wild now? Couldn't be that some rotten humans hunted the rest or developed the land where they once roamed could it? If I locked you in a cage your whole life, I'd bet that you'd try and mess me up the first chance you got. Lions are wild animals and not meant to be caged in the first place, but I'm sure that little factual tidbit makes me a "tree hugging libtard" right?
Davey...
Who said the sheriff shot it with a hand gun? Seems a little small for this job. How many hunters do you know that go hunting with hand guns anyways?
Bogy....
Why are we more important?
Butter....
Disagree. Bin Laden's life was more valuable than this lion's? Personally, I would trade Dick Cheney's life for a lion's any day.
Life is life, the persons life is more important then the Lions? depends on if you are the person or the Lion, I would be inclined to put the higher value on the person but the Lion may feel different about it, do you want to test the theory its a simple test, all you have to do is get permission from a zoo to enter the cage of a old and docile Lion, maybe even a blind one, when you get close to it just grab it by the neck and start chocking it and see what it will do about your action. see what it thinks. all life with the exception of a murderers needs to be respected. and every creature has the right to defend its self. how many other creatures on the planet have revenge killing.
Butter...
What makes a human life far more precious than this stupid lion??? First of all how do you know the lion is stupid? Are you an authority? What makes human life more precious than any other species? because we communicate, have feelings, emotions, a soul? When you can answer any of these questions try making a sensible remark to this article... I personnaly find no fault in the lion. Reminds me of the story a few years back where a trainer was killed when she entereda tank with a KILLER whale. Why did she think might happen? We do not call them Kissing Whales or Hugging Whales now do we? The lion did what a lion does.
Butter44, is that your IQ? That "stupid lion" is an endangered species and was captured and put in a cage by "stupid" humans. No matter what age they started raising it, it's a WILD animal. It's unpredictable because it may feel threatened or unsure of what the humans around it intend to do.
What a moron you are! Dale Anderson didn't tell the girl to leave the cage door open partly....no it was the fault of this young girl. Dale Anderson has always had rules in place and has never had any problems before this happened. My guess is that the girl failed to do her job correctly and she was known for getting to close to wild lions. Hate to see a young girl die, but the facts are the facts.
Simple minded, aren't you?
Spoken like someone that the planet wouldn't miss once he's gone.
I'd like to propose a theory about the "stupid humans". That species of lion, for whatever reason, didn't make it in the wild. That species ONLY exists in captivity.
Now to me, a "stupid" human would re-introduce it into the wild. It didn't make it before, and it won't make it now so releasing it into the wild almost assures this species goes extinct.
Give conservationists some credit. The do the best job they can do under the circumstances. They are hardly getting wealthy from their efforts and they do the best they can with the little funding they have.
Smart, compassionate humans put this near-extinct lion in a cage with the primary goal of figuring out a way to save it's species. It wasn't stupid, selfish people becoming millionaires running a circus side-show.
Hotticket-The planet doesn't have a brain or consciousness you IMBECILE. You are as dumb as they get. Go have sex with a lion you traitor to humanity.
sleuth23Why are we more important? Because we are conscious beings.
Bud Curtis answered all his own questions.
Looks like it was an accident by the young lady. The lion did NOT deserve to be killed! Sad story all around.
Uh, ya it did. The girls life was far more valuable than a stupid lion. Any police officer would have shot it dead put in the same position. You're priorities are all fd up.
I know what you're saying Lakerfan, but can you imagine the uproar if the cops just stood there, doing nothing, while the lion continued tossing her around like a rag doll? That victim's family would eventually pretty much own the state of California...
Butter 44....
Go knit something. Stupid lion? Your stupid. The lion did not ask to be there. She knew the risks and paid the price. Kill the lion? Just tranquilize it. It was there for a reason. Because it's extinct in the wild and they are trying to save them from that. It's idiots like you that caused their extinction. Calling the lion "stupid" is an anthropomorphic fallacy. Priorities? Your more like a "butter nut!" Yea, I said it. I'll bet you some how blame Obama too huh? Again, go knit something and we'll call you for the important stuff...
ROFLMAO!!!!!! just tranquilize it.... what a bunch of fricking idiots!!!!!!! tranquilizers take time to work. even if they had used a trank, the lion would have taken time to go down... it still would have been playing with the girl for awhile.... the cops shot it in the hopes of saving this young girls life!
those of you pissing and moaning about the lion need to go jump into a lion enclosure and be done... Idiots! I love wild life and don't think we should have them in zoos. But since we do, we need to make sure zoo staff are safe.
"Just tranquilize it?" You don't know much about tranquilizing large animals, do you?
You idiots. It takes nearly 10 minutes to tranquilize a 500 pound Lion. Were they supposed to stand around and just wait for the Lion to take a nap as she lay there and bleed to death?
ro mar and cmach....
I know more that you think. Do your own critical thinking and realize there might be people out here that do similar things for a living before you open you big key board.....
once a lion has killed, it's understood that it will attempt to kill again. in order to retreive her corpse, the lion had to be disabled. i agree that a tranq gun should have been available to prevent further mauling after the attack; but then the lion would really need to be put down---in a humane way would be best.
Anyone on this thread that thinks they are more important than anyone else (that includes lions) just because they say so, should be shot and not tranquilized.
Butter, cmach and the rest of you inbreds who feel the lion should have been shot are gits. The girl was the dumb one. She and the rest of the staff shouldn't have a wild animal locked up in a cage. I don't care how young the animal was when humans started raising it. It's WILD. You put a wild creature in a cage and you're going to get killed or hurt eventually. The lion shouldn't have been shot. If the tranqs they have aren't quick enough, get stronger ones. Morons!
So called animal "experts" often take baby animals from the mother and raise it by bottle feeding... then they somehow overlook that the baby animal grows up to be big. Of course it played with those who raised it while young as playing is a form of physical training and hunting practice expected to be needed later on in life. Of course it is affectionate with it's surrogate mother... that's where the food and affection comes from. Experts become complacent around these "huge babies," however, and really ought to spend more time observing a common house cat... what it can do to a tiny fur-mouse toy and how it "play fights" with their hand and stalks / attacks anything that moves. Any cat sanctuary "expert" who is willingly inside an enclosure with a lion, not securely locked in a cage, has no basic understanding of what cats do and that means ANY cat of ANY size. I doubt this lion attacked with vicious intent and was most likely just doing what cats do all the time but usually not doing so with a human being.... same thing a common house cat will do with a yarn ball.
They have 100 acres on this sanctuary so what was this lion doing in a cage inside an enclosure? Expect a lot of pent up energy and frustration when you cage an animal... and don't "work with them" unless you understand them for what they are rather than treating them like pets.
Condolences to the family... but it seems even her Dad had a premonition... so, it seems he knew his daughter pretty well.
Neither "Deserved" to die.
For those of you who apparently were there and have far more information about the situation the Police officer came upon and what Zoo personnel said to the Officer WOW, I had no idea that we had so many clairvoyants.
It is obvious that there is room for improvement for this Zoo's Process/Policies and I am sure they will get the professional scrutiny necessary to address that.
These things do not give any solace to the family or the Zoological society as a whole for having lost TWO precious lives.
We who post on these blogs have to get over our ego and arrogance that "We" could have prevented every Tragedy. Sometimes, after whatever corrective actions can be taken, we just have to Grieve and go through the pain. We are so sure that we can talk our way out of grieving, but to me Grieving is testimony to how much we loved and will miss the loved one, human or animal.
Again condolences to the family of the young woman. A pity they had to kill the lion too. A mistake was made and someone paid for it.
They killed the lion in the process of trying to save the young lady. The lion probably didn't mean harm, but was playing with the young lady's body like a cat with a mouse. What do you do? Shout "stop it bad kitty?" A tragic event all around.
This is a triple tragedy. The family of young woman who loved cats and senselessly lost her life to the attack. The cat who grew up in captivity and whose species is extinct in the wild - shot by deputies. To the preserve who has had no incidents like this since the time they have been offering a sanctuary. Sad...
How sad, all the way around. I suspect the lion intended no harm and wanted to "play" by landing on the human's back and surprising her. 350 lb. landing on the back of someone who is maybe 120lbs doesn't work. That fact that she wasn't mauled makes it seem like it wasn't meant as aggression. When she didn't move, he may have thought he was protecting her from the humans who stepped in. Thankfully it was quick and she probably didn't feel a thing.
There may not have been overt negligence.The gate may have been latched. Any big cat around humans that much can learn quite a few things - like unlatching gates.
Sad. I guess no matter how much history one has with a wild animal, and regardless of how confident about the animal's patterns, it's still a wild animal. I'm not really clear about how the lion managed to get at her. But 350 pounds of lion is a lot of risk to be taking, and perhaps enough care was not taken in this instance. Anyway, Condolences to the family and friends. RIP.
There's no proof she died instantly and didn't suffer, especially since the body had injuries indicating the cat toyed with her like a rag doll. Who's to say with certainty that the fatal bite to the neck didn't come TEN MINUTES AFTER she'd been chewed on and tossed around, quite conscious throughout it all? Jeez.
the coroner who did the autopsy is the 'one to say'. did you read the article? have you never watched CSI? coroners can tell when injuries have been inflicted after death
The "girl's" name was Dianna. She was a big cat lover. The lion was used to people since it was a cub. What if he did get out just to play with her. She doesn't look very big in her picture. Just one playful paw on her head with weight is all that was needed. A cat being too friendly because he loved Dianna. That's the chance that she took...out of love....and yet now, the very thing that she loved, was shot and killed by another gun-happy security guard....chickens.
They could have easily scared the lion away with a few shots in the air. But no, they had to kill the very thing that Dianna loved. Shame on them. My deepest condolences to Dianna's family and may they take comfort in knowing that Dianna died doing what she loved.
The security guards should be fired especially since this is a rare lion that was captive since he was 8 weeks old. Chickens. Chickens. Chickens.
The coroner can tell when injuries are post mortem, less blood loss is only one indicator. The human body also alters blood chemistry when in pain. Post mortem blood work would provide another indicator. I won't provide the entire list, suffice it to say, the coroner knows with certainty. We have a modern, professional coroner's office here and his judgment may be relied on.
This was a tragedy for all. That sanctuary has never had any problems and was well-known in this area and respected. My condolences to the family and co-workers.
she was already dead. You don't know much about autopsies do you?
Why shoot the lion? All it was doing was being a lion.
Well because cops have this thing called an oath to protect and serve. Imagine all the crap that would be said if they just hung around and watched the lion toss the girl around.
All the cops were doing were being cops.
But it does suck...
Hey Davidaja,
Ever hear of a tranquilizer gun? The Cat Sanctuary should always have one ready to go in these types of cases.
The lion did not have to be killed.
This is just our 'high and mighty way' to tell the King of the Jungle that we are King!
exactly
"Ever hear of a tranquilizer gun? The Cat Sanctuary should always have one ready to go in these types of cases."
One? One for every cat, perhaps. The dose must be precise, or it either kills the animal or is ineffective. The shot must be precise, or the full dose is not administered or the needle pops out. Even if everything aligns perfectly, for an animal that size, it would be approximately 15 minutes before it worked. Tranquilizing a large animal is tricky under the best of circumstances and, tragically, these were not the best of circumstances.
no, it does not. Get on the internet and do some research. there are pepper sprays, tazer poles, all kinds of things that are used. The cat did not need to be killed. Period.
Cats are canny and safeguards must be checked and rechecked and triple checked because big cats are known to jump at an opportunity when it presents itself.
Many years ago there was a big cat trainer who described how one cat observed for years the pattern of the show and one day the cat got off its stool at the right time and killed another big cat which was the trainer's beloved cat.
Big cats are predators- and will always be predators. It's really extremely sad that this young woman died doing something she loved.
Too bad the cat could not be tranquilized by the staff-such guns should be available at all times avoiding the tragedy of the cat being killed by the police. Such sanctuaries should have SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for such an event and actually go on dry runs so that all staff is familiar with the protocols in case of an emergency. Strict triple checks on locks with perhaps an alarm if a door is not locked. Safeguards which saves lives.
Once again... Tranquilizers take TIME to work.... they are not going to do a damned bit of good in a situation like this...
Right. So just shot it because she is already dead and the lion is doing what a lion does. Have you ever used a trank gun? How about a tazer on a pole? I didn't think so.....
"The coroner also said the lion escaped its cage to kill Hanson while she was cleaning the enclosure." And just how in the hell would the coroner know this...??? Is the coroner psychic, and if so, why didn't the coroner prevent this...??? What a stupid thing to say...
Yes, your statement was a stupid thing to say. Try some critical thinking skills or research how coroner's investigations are performed. Unbelievable.
Ro Mar....
Yes, i am sure your a pro at all this. Go with Butter nut head and knit something. We'll call you if we need your opinion.
LOL, you're a dolt. Almost entertaining, almost.
big man behind the key board. Dolt....You don't even know what that means. Knitting is the answer for you.
It is a shame that she lost her life. But white people keep messing with these wild animals acting like they are a newborn baby. Look at the Africans you don't see them getting cozy with those wild animals. The key word is wild by nature.
smitty03281964, white people ....really? My condolence to the family.
Ha Ha Ha ha !!
You dumb, racist twit! Yeah, the Africans just kill it for it's skin, feet or horns. At least white people try to preserve these wild animals, not sell their body parts.
rbjk0174s,
Guilty of what you accuse others of doing ?
Africans preserve those animals as much as white peoples do and Africans kill those animals for their skin, feet or horn just as much as white peoples do.
Please don't accuse others of being racist just to follow up with a racist comment of your own.
They may have another problem, the other cat who was probably a companion of the dead cat. They may have been pals and now he alone. Many animals sense loss as well. Hope the cat gets a new play mate, but probably not.
All you people--- if you have a pet cat, just remember----if you were small enough your cat would eat you.
It is a very horrible thing to happen to a young lady who loved her animals no doubt. But it is also the same scenerio time and time again kill the animal.
These anaimals belong in the wild where mother nature intended them to be. If they become extinct then it is mother natures way except when trigger happy man kind is the one responsible for the extinction. Leave these animals where they belong. And it is not in cages where they grow bored and their disposition changes. They are not happy would you be.
But for our own entertainment we bring them to an enviornment that is not good for them. I feel very bad for the girl and her family very bad. But wild animals are forever wild. Anyone who works with them will tell you never turn your back on a big cat. Their instinct is uncontrolable they cannot help it. And again everytime this sort of thing happens the animal ends up dead. Dead for being put in a cage out of it's natural element and then held responsible with a death sentence for being what it is.
I agree. They don't belong in captivity. Man has to stop playing God with God's creatures.
Wild animals like lions do not belong in captivity. Leave them to their native habitat and enjoy them from afar. Its called common sense.
Except that in this case they do not have a natural habitat of their own since they are extinct in the wild.
Keeping them in cages so they don't completely go extinct and we can maybe attempt to re-introduce them to their natural habitat later is also common sense.
Those cats shouldn't be kept in captivity. Man needs to stop playing God with God's creations.
I just heard a news report from the sanctuary, the gentleman speaking was crying as he spoke and in the background you could hear the other felines grunting/moaning, the gentleman said they had been making this noise since the incident and it was a expression of distress caused by the loss of the "two family members". Sad situation for all concerned, prayers for healing for all concerned.
Had this lion been left in the wild it would be dead just like the rest of the wild Barbary lions. So, either way, dead.
You dumb git! At least it would've been a natural death and not by some bonehead cops' gun.
It is a sad story, and both too young. Did either one of them really know what they were doing?
RIP. Ms. Hanson, and Cous Cous.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of this young woman.
Too bad that the natural habitat of wild animals is being lost to the overpopulation of humans. The root of all evil at this point is overpopulation. Human population on the earth has doubled since the early 1970's. Frightening.
We take these animals out of the wild for our "enjoyment" and then when the animal does what it natural for it to do, kill one of us, we kill it and then proclaim our value over it and right to kill it.
Give me a break!
This girl sadly got herself killed playing with fire (a lion).
You could not pay me enough to enter a lion's cage and play with the big kitty kitty no matter how many locks and safeguards the caretakers said they had.
Bottom line is this: Stop blaming and killing dangerous animals for our stupid desire to be near them and to play with them!