Fresno Coroner: Lion Possibly Escaped To Kill Intern At Calif. Animal Sanctuary

DUNLAP (CBS13) - The Fresno County coroner believes the African lion at a California animal sanctuary that mauled a young woman to death may have escaped from its pen.

The coroner said there may have been an issue with the gate separating enclosures, and that the lion may have used its paw to open the gate and attack the woman.

On Thursday authorities first reported the intern may have broken the rules by entering the lion's pen. Now they think that may not have been the case.

Investigators believe 26-year-old Diana Hanson died quickly of a broken neck. The Fresno County coroner believes the lion broke her neck with a paw swipe and says the young volunteer was already dead when the 550-pound animal bit and clawed her body on Wednesday afternoon.

Questions linger about how and why the intern ended up in the enclosure with the lion. A source says the only way it could've happened is if Hanson broke the rules.

RELATED: USDA, Cal-OSHA Join Investigation Into Fatal Lion Attack

A source familiar with Cat Haven says Hanson would have had to open one of several locked doors to get inside the pen with Cous Cous. The source says that's a violation of the park's rules. One animal expert says it was an accident waiting to happen.

"I still have a hard time fathoming going in with an African lion like that. My first thought, it had to be a mistake. Hopefully that wasn't a protocol at the place," Paws co-founder Ed Stewart said.

At PAWS, a well-known animal sanctuary in San Andreas, fences are 18-feet high and workers never have direct contact with the lions. The same rules are in place at the Sacramento Zoo.

"It does only take one slip, one mistake, and the consequences are obviously pretty serious," said Sacramento Zoo General Curator Harrison Edell.

The only other worker there at Cat Haven couldn't lure Cous Cous away. So deputies shot and killed the lion to get to the injured woman, but it was too late.

"She's going to be missed. I'm so sorry this has happened," said Cat Haven President Wendy Debbas.

One day after the loss of Hanson, those who worked with her remember a woman who loved life, her job and big cats.

"Even though she was only with us for a little more than two months, she was part of our family," said Debbas.

The owner of Cat Haven allowed cameras inside the animal sanctuary for the first time since the deadly attack.

"Some people don't understand the emotional tie with the animals and the people that work here," Founder Dale Anderson said.

Hanson's father, Paul, says his daughter was living a dream in her six-month internship. She had no fear of big cats.

"She was fearless, never the slightest bit afraid and was very well trained on how to handle tigers and lions," he told CNN.

Paul says it didn't make sense his daughter would break the rules, adding she'd trained with lions and tigers for years and was looking forward to the last few months of her internship.

"The happiest time in her life, her mother and I agreed today, was these last two months," Paul said.

Hanson was reportedly on her cell phone with a co-worker when she was killed.

Animal experts we talked to Thursday stress that even a lion like Cous Cous that has spent much of its life around people still has the instincts of a wild animal. That's why there are generally strict guidelines in place preventing one-on-one contact.