Page 18 - Cat Haven News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Exists in the wild. >> they were killed off in the wild in about the 1920s so all the ones you see are in captivity. >> reporter: as for the victim, dianna hanson, it's not clear how she died, but her father says big cats were her passion, writing we will miss you so much, but i know that you will be happy. for now, you truly are in the eternal cat haven. and, john, i think what strikes you in that statement is the father, who also happens to be a lawyer, doesn't seem to have a trace of bitterness or animosity towards cat haven. in fact he said the way to honor his daughter's memory is to supp...

>> she was so happy when she got that internship and she was having so much fun. it was her dream job she was so happy there it makes it bearable she died so happy. >> dan simon is live for us in dunlap, california. dan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, soledad. i think the main question this morning is how did this woman find herself in harm's way, were protocols followed or ignored? cat haven seemed to have a decent reputation. >> this is cuzi a north african lion. >> reporter: a lion shot dead wednesday afternoon. >> female volunteer intern entered the lion's enclosure where she was...

Tigers and leopards. it describes itself as an innovative park, dedicated to the preservation of wild cats. 5-year-old couscous came to the sanctuary as a cub. the founder dale anderson said this species of lion no longer exists in the wild. >> the north africans were killed off in the wild about the 1920s, so all the ones you see are in captivity. >> reporter: as for diana hanson it's not clear how she died but her father says big cats were her passion writing "we will miss you so much but i know that you will be happy, for now, you truly are in the eternal cat haven." i think what's striking...

Our fresno affiliates are reporting this lion was called cous cous, a celebrity cat, a cat who had made the rounds of various talk shows and they say when the attack happened, someone else, another co-worker, tried in vain to distract this huge cat and it just did not work. when the sheriff's deputies, the first to arrive on scene tried, they saw that the victim was injured severely but the victim died on scene. some are asking what is cat haven. it's about 45 miles east of fresno in dunlap. it has a number of cats from tigers to lep pards to lions to cheetahs and bobcats. this is up in elevat...

24-year-old volunteer intern, get in a position where she could be alone with this lion and be attacked? let me tell you a little bit about this place, cat haven. it's got 50 exotic, rare, some of these cats are very large. it's open to the public. they have guided tours every day. now, this young woman, the intern, 24-year-old dianna hanson, she came from washington state. this was her dream. she wanted to be around these kind of animals. her father spoke out and said that she had a rare passion for these kinds of cats. take a look. >> she was so happy when she got that internship. she was ha...