The name of the deceased, is Dianna Hanson, age 24.
The rumors are she died almost instantly of a broken neck. She was on a cell phone call with a co-worker which abruptly ended. The lion was apparently in an adjacent cage which had some formation of the gate with an opening of some extent.
In Zimbabwe, another female was mauled to death. A body in condition of remains was found of a second person in Zimbabwe after a hunt for the lion blamed.
Both of these incidents are remindful of the film The Ghost and the Darkness, 1996. --Although thousands of miles apart.
It is extremely important to remember, that when dealing and interfacing with animals that have predatory skills in their nature, that basic prima facie [on the surface] theories of space, and time, may not be absolute limitations on that animal.
For example, a science book says an animal can leap up to 15 feet when attacking. DO NOT stand 16 feet away and think you are safe. Another source says an animal is 500 pounds, and 4 feet at the shoulders, and 3 feet wide; do not assume that if you build a containment that is just under 4 feet high, and a few inches below 3 feet wide, that the animal will not manage to DEFY laws of nature, physics, and the behavior that was caught on video when the animal knew humans were watching.
Mauling in Fresno story here with video: http://abcnews.go.com/US/dianna-hanson-died-broken-neck-lion-attack/story?id=18682116
Florida beaches have been making their precautions against shark visitors resulting in beach closures in some areas. What the demographics of beach visits this Spring Break season is is yet to be seen. About 2 weeks ago a shark about 14 feet long killed a man just off the northwestern coast of New Zealand. The sharks approaching Florida in the past few days are evidently of a different species; however, taking safety measures is performed.
Map of where Fresno, California is:
Map URL: http://playfresno.org/img/californiaMap.jpg
Maps of where Zimbabwe is, the attacks took place at a 'man-made' lake, Lake Kariba, in the northern area, town of Kariba, in the region in, around, near where Zambia meets Zimbabwe:
map URLs:
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/zwaf.gif
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/zwnewzzz.gif
In outward appearance, the lion in the Fresno sanctuary might have more glamour, in that it was large and muscular, the weight of 550 pounds is like a large NFL defensive lineman together with a large NBA basketball player, 300 pounds and 250 pounds, at almost zero percent body fat, making it a very powerful predatory cat; essentially what we think of when we think of lion attacks here in the U.S. The lion or lions in Zimbabwe, which might have less fame than lions in South Africa, of the ones that we have seen, might not be as glamorous in appearance, might not have the mane in cartoon films and picture books such as the 'Lion King', might look more down to earth, and a creature of the land that has to chase down food in the food chain like all the other animals, grungy, thirsty, nearly dehydrated. All in all, lions are still lions. Sharks are still sharks.
