Lion Kills Keeper At California Cat Sanctuary

A lion has killed a volunteer at a big cat sanctuary in California after the worker climbed into the animal's cage.

The 26-year-old woman was attacked inside an enclosure at Cat Haven in Dunlap by an African lion which had been raised at the park since it was a cub.

Another park worker tried unsuccessfully to lure the lion - a four-year-old male named Couscous - into a separate pen.

The animal was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Lt Tony Spada said.

Dale Anderson, who has run the zoo since 1993, cried as he read a short statement about the intern's death, extending his thoughts and prayers to the victim's family and friends.

Investigators are now trying to find out why the woman was inside the enclosure and what might have provoked the attack.

Nicole Paquette, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal welfare charity, said: "She should have never been in the enclosure with him.?These are big cats that are extremely dangerous."

The sanctuary previously had a good safety record

Cat Haven, about 45 miles east of Fresno in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is a private sanctuary with two lions.

The park - which is?home to about two dozen animals and has previously housed tigers, leopards and jaguars - has a good safety record, Lt Spada said.

An inspection by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in January 2011 found the sanctuary was in "good condition".

On its website, Cat Haven says it promotes conservation and preservation of wild cats in their native habitats. It offers tours and educational outreach.

Mr Anderson has described the zoo as one of only a handful of facilities in the US that has all the big cat species in one place.

Last year, another sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, said that at least 21 people, including five children, have been killed and 246 mauled by exotic cats in the US since 1990.

Over that period, 254 cats escaped and 143 were killed.

Source: http://news.sky.com/story/1061203

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