Los Angeles Times
A week ago in Fresno County, a twenty-four year old woman was killed by a lion. She was an intern at Project Survival Cat Haven where the lion was being held at the time. This site had numerous amounts of animals including other lions, tigers, jaguars and cheetahs. The animal was a four year old lion which had not even matured to its full size yet. When the coroner was examining the woman's body, he noticed that the death was a quick and painless one. By just one swipe of the paw, the lion had snapped the woman's neck and instantly killed her. According to the coroner, the lion attacked the woman slightly suffocating her but by one swing of the paw killed her on the spot. Another person tried to lure the lion away from the victim but it did not work. Project Survival Cat Haven is still keeping animals such as lions in order for them not to get extinct. It is tragic that a death of a human being would occur at a place with such good intentions. At the end however, animals will be animals and they can do the most unexpected acts at any time.
I heard about this story on the news a couple of days ago. The woman's coworkers mentioned how even though the intern had worked there for such a short period of time, she had shown great potential of being a strong advocate for this cause. The cause of her death is extremely tragic, yet unpreventable as you said. Although her death was quick and "painless", measures should be taken to prevent accidents like this. One of the main questions in this case is: should interns, who have only worked in an animal environment for such a short period of time, be allowed to have physical contact with the animals? As much as books and school can teach you, one simply cannot learn all the details of dealing with animals unless they have years of experience, which the intern did not.
ReplyDeleteThese wild animals should be watched even more closely to try and end these killings. Animal lovers need to understand that these wild animals are eventually animals. Yes they are cute animals, but eventually they will live by their instincts which is to be violent. These animals are not to be domesticated they belong in the wild in order to live happily, and no one should be allowed to say other wise.
ReplyDeleteI feel very sorry about the death of this poor woman. She was doing something she loved and had died while doing it. I am an animal lover and would do anything to save or help animals, and this woman was the perfect example of a person wiing to devote their lives (literally) to a cause. She was a hero in my eyes because she could have easily been fighting for an orphanage instead of the endangered lions. In a way, she died for what she believed in.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how closely these wild animals are watched, they can strike at any second. It is in their nature. It is ironic that she was their to help save that lions species, and the lion ended up killing her. Although this is sad news to hear, it was bound to happen to some one one way or another. I hope this is a wake up call to all of the workers there to take EXTRA caution when dealing with animals like these, because you do not know what to expect. There should not be any reason to have casualties such as these in the twenty-first century.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad article, and it made my skin get goose bumps. I agree with your comment, in that it is sad that someone had to die at a place with such good intentions, and that she was there to help the animals not get attacked by one and die. At the end of the day animals will be animals and we as humans cannot really control their actions. One should know that being around wild animals like lions and tigers, will be a dangerous action, and that there are consequences for the time spent with them. Most of the time we hear about people getting attacked by animals whom they either train or are around, and unfortunately this was the human that we had to hear about. R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteThis article is quite a gloomy one and gave me goose bumps. It is sad to hear that a women, of such young age, has lost her life to such a unusual cause. Places, such as Project Survival Safe Haven, need extra security for the protection of humans from wild animals, such as lions, tigers, jaguars, and cheetahs. I truly feel sympathy for this young women's family and for them to go through such hard times as these. Hopefully, an incident such as this one will not occur again. R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate to hear such a story, especially if it involves a helpless life being taken away, whether it be painlessly or painful. The thought of being killed probably did not even cross the innocent woman's mind as she entered Project Survival Safe Haven. Precautionary measures must be taken in order to ensure a similar incident does not happen. Whether the animals require more time to be tamed or the security must be reinforced, it is disreputable for such a great organization to unleash such a sad story. The work this organization does in terms of preserving animals from extinction is admirable, and they should keep it up for as long as the animals live. However, if incidents like these do not come to a halt, the place would stop having visitors.
ReplyDeleteSadly, events such as these occur once in a while. What is even more sad is that people still hang out with animals such as lions as if they are household cats. In my opinion, they should kill the lion who attacked that poor woman, because once an animal gets a taste of human blood or the thrill of killing a human, it will not stop attacking them when it gets the chance. Killing of that lion is completely justified, but for the other lions, MANY safety measures must be taken before taking care of animals such as lions.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate to hear of such events happening in such happy places like Fresno County. Even though this innocent young women was killed, at least it was a quick and painless death. One can learn several things from stories such as this one. First of all, it is clear that lions, even at a young age, are extremely dangerous. Secondly, it is clear that this young woman must have been passionate about her work, because only the most courageous of people would do what that woman did for a living. Passion can drive people to do crazy things, even risk their lives; but a life without passion is not a life worth living.
ReplyDeleteLike you said in your blog above, this accident is truly tragic, and it is ironic how it happened at a place were people take care of these animals due to extinction. I have heard many stories like this one, but never has there been a time were people have learned from them. Even though the woman that died loved lions or big cats in general, they have to take into consideration that that creature can kill him or her unknowingly. The lion never wanted to kill her, it is just that she invaded his private habitat. However, even though it is still a tragic death, we have to look at it as a painless one, like you stated above. This incident would have been much worse if the woman bled to death, in excruciating pain. Learn from these articles people, anything could happen, especially if one is messing with an overpowering species.
ReplyDeleteArek, I agree with you. Animals are animals and we cannot have them act any differently, especially lions who are known to be violent and dangerous. While researching on this topic for my own blog, I found out that the young woman loved lions and tigers. It is ironic how she was killed by the animals she loved and worked with. Stories such as this one, should serve as an example and to prevent further animal attacks. Owners of zoos or projects, such as Project Cat Haven, should take into consideration that these animals can attack at any moment that they can get. It is important to watch over them carefully and make sure their cages are secured safely to prevent future attacks and innocent people dying.
ReplyDeleteIt is upsetting that people die due to wild animals, but they are called wild animals for a reason. One should always be extremely cautions when near a wild animals such as a lion, or a tiger. Although it seems very tragic, she must have done something that made the lion angry, we should all make this a lesson for ourselves, never get near wild animals.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad and disappointing article. The woman was intrigued by different breeds of cats, especially lions. Who knew her most beloved animal would “betray” her and take away her life? It is astonishing how one paw could have such force and immediately kill a human being. The Project Survival Cat Haven’s decision of keeping the lions within the facility, due to endangerment and risk of extinction, is understandable, but lions are born in the wild. Moreover animals should be kept within its habitat, and not be relocated to a facility, where it is forced to adapt to its surroundings. Society should use this event as an example of not to approach a wild animal who will proceed with any action of defense.
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