DUNLAP, California鈥擜 24-year-old intern who was described by her father as a 鈥渇earless鈥 lover of big cats ventured into a lion enclosure at a privately owned zoo and was mauled to death, prompting investigations by several government agencies that want to know how the accident happened.
Dianna Hanson, whose Facebook page is plastered with photos of her petting tigers and other big cats, was frustrated that the exotic cat zoo in California where she had worked since January did not allow direct contact with animals, her father told The Associated Press.
鈥淪he was disappointed because she said they wouldn鈥檛 let her into the cages with the lion and tiger there,鈥 Paul Hanson, a Seattle-area attorney, said about Cat Haven, the site of the deadly mauling on Wednesday.
Friends of Dianna Hanson recalled her passion for cat conservation.
鈥淪he was lovely. Energetic, athletic. She did everything she could to help our conservation efforts,鈥 said Kat Combes of the Soysambu Conservancy in Kenya, where Hanson recently had volunteered to work in the Cheetah Research Center.
For reasons still being investigated, Dianna Hanson entered the enclosure of a male African lion named Cous Cous on a day that Cat Haven, 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of Fresno, was closed to the public.
The 4-year-old lion, which had lived at the park since it was a cub, attacked Hanson and was later shot by Fresno County sheriff鈥檚 deputies who were trying to reach her body.
Autopsy results revealed the reddish-haired young woman died quickly of a broken neck, possibly from a paw swipe, and the numerous bites and scratches she sustained were inflicted after she died.
On Wednesday, deputies found the mortally injured Hanson lying inside the enclosure, with Cous Cous nearby, said Fresno County sheriff鈥檚 Lt. Bob Miller.
Another park worker had failed to lure the lion into another pen, so deputies shot and killed it to reach the wounded woman, but she died at the scene, he said.
Whether Hanson ignored orders or was performing a function that placed her in danger is being investigated by officials who are also trying to determine if employees were properly instructed about potential danger, as required.
A necropsy on the lion is being performed at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab in Tulare.
Dale Anderson, founder of the 100-acre (40-hectare) facility in the Sierra Nevada foothills on the road to Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, said he also is investigating whether the facility鈥檚 procedures were followed.
Cat Haven breeds and keeps lions, tigers, jaguars, lynx and other exotic cats and takes them out for public appearances.
By all accounts, Hanson loved contact with cats. Her Facebook page holds dozens of photos of her petting many exotics.
In one photo, a leopard is lying next to her leg.
Late last year, she traveled to a preserve where she had volunteered in Bellingham, Washington, and posted a photo of herself standing in a tiger enclosure holding a stick as she was preparing to scratch the animal鈥檚 back.
鈥淚 was bending over to scratch her back with my hand,鈥 she wrote under the photo. 鈥淵ou only touch them with your hands 鈥 one doesn鈥檛 poke a tiger with a stick.鈥
On the same post she expressed excitement about going to Cat Haven to 鈥渟tart an internship with more kittes(sic); so be prepared for more kitty pictures with new cats!鈥
Hanson鈥檚 family was taking some solace in that she died doing what she loved.
鈥淪he was living her dream and pursuing her life鈥檚 work to the fullest,鈥 Paul R. Hanson, her brother, told the AP. 鈥淯pon completion of college she set off to pursue her life鈥檚 work of bringing awareness of the plight of these magnificent animals through education and outreach.鈥
In a letter posted to family and friends, the woman who had graduated in 2011 from Western Washington University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in ecology, evolution and biology talked about falling in love with exotic cats. After meeting a Washington couple with four tigers, she was hooked.
鈥淔or the last two and a half years I have been learning how to care for these animals and come next February, my father has given me a plane ticket鈥 to Kenya, she enthusiastically wrote, adding later: 鈥淎s my mother can tell you, I have had the goals of working with big cats since she adopted a tiger in my name when I was 7. I鈥檓 getting there.鈥