Lion kills intern at big cat sanctuary

Conservationist says she had been in the cage with the lion before The victim of the attack was a 24-year-old intern Another employee tried to distract the lion away from the injured worker A deputy shot and killed the adult male African lion

(CNN) -- A 24-year-old female intern was killed Wednesday afternoon by an African lion inside a cage at an exotic cat sanctuary in California, authorities said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family at this critical time," said Dale Anderson, founder of Project Survival Cat Haven in Dunlap.

The lion, a 5-year-old, 350-pound cat named Cous Cous, was shot and killed, officials said.

Lion attacks, kills sanctuary intern Lion kills intern in Calif. sanctuary Lion kills worker at California sanctuary

"Another employee had made several attempts to distract the lion away from the victim and into another enclosure prior to the deputy's arrival, but all attempts failed," the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

A sheriff's deputy shot and killed the lion and then gave medical assistance to the worker, it said. "The victim died at the scene."

The victim was identified as Dianna Hanson by her father, Paul Hanson.

Hanson released a message on Facebook about the death.

"Dianna really loved her six-month month internship at Cat Haven," Paul Hanson wrote. "She and I drove down there from Seattle on January 1 & 2. She was so excited at working in Cat Haven and living in California. Once there, she gave me the tour and showed me all the big cats there with which she would be working."

The head of The Jungle Jenny Foundation, which focuses on conservation of endangered species, said she had been in Cous Cous' cage before, accompanied by a park worker.

She said there was no indication from the lion that he was dangerous.

"I didn't see any type of aggressive behavior," Jenny Michaels told CNN's Piers Morgan.

She said the workers at the park were top-notch.

"It was really well run, very professional," she said. "I don't know the circumstances (of the attack) but I can tell you that in my interaction over at Project Survival they have been professional and ... they have run their protocol strictly."

Noted animal expert Jack Hanna said that even if the woman had known the lion, a big cat can be unpredictable in the way it reacts to what it sees or hears.

"They are wild animals, end of story," he said. "No matter what anyone says, they are wild animals."

Hanna said it would be unusual for someone to enter an adult lion's cage without another person or with someone close by.

Project Survival said it would investigate whether safety protocol was followed.

Cat Haven is a 100-acre wooded sanctuary that is home to "some of the rarest cats in the world," including lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards, according to its website.

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