Lion attack: One swipe, and it was over for Calif. intern in latest wild animal aggression

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A lion yawns near the National Parks sanctuary in Zimbabwe in January 2013. (Associated Press)
This Oct. 12, 2012, photo released by JP Marketing shows a 4-year-old male African lion named Cous Cous at Cat Haven, a private wild animal park in Dunlap, Calif. Authorities say the lion killed a female intern-volunteer on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Cat Haven, where the cat had been raised since it was a cub. (AP Photo/JP Marketing, Vicken Massoyan)
This undated photo provided by Paul Hanson shows his sister, Dianna Hanson. Ms. Hanson, a 24-year-old intern at the Cat Haven in Dunlap, Calif., was killed by a lion at the exotic animal park on Wednesday, March 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Hanson)
** FILE ** Dawn Brancheau, a whale trainer at SeaWorld Adventure Park, is shown while performing in 2005. Ms. Brancheau was killed in an accident with a killer whale at the SeaWorld Shamu Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Julie Fletcher)
** FILE ** Three killer whales swim in tanks at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. Earlier in the day, an orca killed a trainer who slipped or fell in its tank, drowning her in front of an audience. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Red Huber)
** FILE ** Siegfried Fischbacher (bottom) and Roy Horn sail through the air with one of their white tigers in 1990 at Las Vegas' Mirage. (Associated Press)
** FILE ** Siegfried Fischbacher (left) and Roy Horn of the illusionist team Siegfried and Roy play with a 6-week-old white-striped tiger cub at their Las Vegas home in June 2008. (AP Photo/Louie Traub, File)
** FILE ** In this Oct. 7, 2007, this image taken from KGO television shows paramedics transporting a victim of a tiger mauling to San Francisco General Hospital on Tuesday. The man and another victim were in stable condition.
** FILE ** In this March 18, 2006 file photo, during an exhibition wrestling match at a sportsmen's show in Cleveland, Lance Palmer takes on Ceaser, a 650-pound black bear owned by Sam Mazzola. On Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010, another bear owned by Mazzola fatally mauled its caretaker at Mazzola's animal sanctuary in Columbia Station, Ohio. Mazzola accumulated dozens of dangerous, exotic animals despite past convictions and losing his license after animal rights activists complained he was making money by letting people wrestle bears. (AP Photo/Jamie-Andrea Yanak, File)
Police in inflatable rubber boats shoot at a shark off Muriwai Beach near Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, as they attempt to retrieve a body following a fatal shark attack. Police said a man was found dead in the water after being "bitten by a large shark." (AP Photo/Ross Land)

By Cheryl K. Chumley

The Washington Times

Friday, March 8, 2013

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It took one quick swipe, and the neck of 24-year-old Dianna Hanson was broken. Her death by lion was likely immediate, said Fresno, Calif., coroner David Hadden.

“The lion had been fed, the young woman was cleaning the large enclosure, and the lion was in the small cage. The gate of the cage was partially open, which allowed the lion called Cous Cous to lift it up with his paw. He ran at the young lady,” said Mr. Hadded, explaining to The Associated Press the scene of Thursday’s lion killing at a Central California animal park.

By all accounts, the 5-year-old lion killed her instantly.

Ms. Hanson, from Seattle, was working at the park as an intern. Cous Cous was reportedly her favorite animal.

Investigators say she was talking on her cellphone with a colleague just moments before she was attacked, AP said. The co-worker called authorities to check on Ms. Hanson after the phone conversation ended suddenly, AP said.

This undated photo provided by Paul Hanson shows his sister, Dianna Hanson. Ms. Hanson, a 24-year-old intern at the Cat Haven in Dunlap, Calif., was killed by a lion at the exotic animal park on Wednesday, March 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Hanson)

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This undated photo provided by Paul Hanson shows his sister, Dianna Hanson. ... more >

About the Author

Cheryl K. Chumley

Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.