Couscous (Photo from CatHaven.com)
DUNLAP, CA (AP) - The Fresno County Coroner's Office says a lion used its paw to lift a partially closed door and escape a smaller cage before attacking and killing a 24-year-old woman cleaning a larger enclosure.
Coroner David Hadden said intern Dianna Hanson died quickly of a broken neck.
Hadden said Hanson was already dead when the 550-pound lion was tossing her body about its enclosure shortly after the Wednesday afternoon attack.
Hadden said Thursday that bite and claw marks found on Hanson's body were sustained after she died. Haddon said investigators believe the lion broke Haddon's neck with a paw swipe.
Hanson was volunteering at the Cat Haven exotic animal facility in Dunlap, Calif., east of Fresno.
The Associated Press and News10/KXTV