Animal Attacks
Worker killed by lion was female volunteer
A female volunteer worker at Project Survival’s Cat Haven at Dunlap is dead in an attack by an African lion, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife official said Wednesday.
Lt. Tony Spada of state Fish & Wildlife confirmed that one worker was killed by the lion in an enclosure at the haven, at 38257 E. Kings Canyon Road. The haven is permitted by the agency for exotic animals.
According to Cat Haven founder and executive director Dale Anderson the 26-year-old intern was attacked and killed when she entered the lion’s enclosure, , but he refused to provide more details.
Investigators were trying to determine why the intern was inside the enclosure and what might have provoked the attack, sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Collins said. The facility is normally closed on Wednesdays, and only one other worker was there when the mauling happened, he said.
The male African lion, a 4-year-old male named Cous Cous, had been raised at Cat Haven since it was a cub, said Tanya Osegueda, a spokeswoman for Project Survival, the nonprofit that operates the animal park.
Another park worker had unsuccessfully tried luring the lion into a separate pen, so deputies shot and killed it so they could reach the wounded woman, who died at the scene, Miller said.
Anderson did not field questions after talking to reporters. He did not say why the victim had entered the lion’s enclosure.
Anderson said Project Survival would investigate to see if the intern and the other worker on-site followed the group’s protocols.
Spada described this type of incident as “very rare” because of the safety measures required by the state and because regulations require minimal human-animal interaction.
The attack occurred about 12:30 p.m. when the worker was inside an enclosure with an African lion named Cous Cous, The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.
Another employee made several attempts to distract the lion away from the victim and into another enclosure, to no avail.
The business was closed to the public after the attack.
Spada said his agency will investigate along with the Sheriff’s Office to pin down what happened, including an autopsy of the lion.
Fresno County Emergency Medical Services got a call around 12:32 p.m. to respond to the Cat Haven. But before their arrival at 12:52 p.m., the call was canceled because the patient had died.
An autopsy on the worker will be conducted Thursday, Fresno County Coroner David Hadden said. The worker’s name and hometown were not released.
Osegueda, the Cat Haven spokeswoman, said Cous Cous was 4 years old and had been raised at the sanctuary since it was an 8-week-old cub.
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