A lion kills a female volunteer in the sad story that unfolded on Wednesday, March 6.

A lion killed a 24-year-old woman who was an intern at an exotic animal park in California for just a few weeks prior to her tragic death.

The female volunteer was killed on Wednesday when she entered the male African lion's enclosure at Cat Haven, an exotic animal park in Dunlap, California.

The sheriff's deputies found the volunteer severely injured within the enclosure with a lion nearby, said Lt. Bob Miller of Fresno County Sheriff.

Another park worker tried and failed to lure the lion into another pen, so it had to be shot and killed.

The woman died at the scene.

Paul Hanson identified the female volunteer as his daughter. The Seattle-area attorney said of his daughter, Dianna Hanson, "She was very excited. It was just a dream job for her," to the AP.

He said that big cats had fascinated his daughter from a young age. "She was absolutely fearless," Hanson said.

In a statement, Paul Hanson said, "Please honor Dianna's memory by helping her favorite cause: preserving the remaining big cats in the world. She would ask us to do that for her."

Hanson said, "She was at ease with those big cats. They liked her." She frequently posted pictures of the big cats on her Facebook page, including a photo of the lion that killed her.

Executive director and Cat Haven founder Dale Anderson cried as he read a statement on the death, "We take every precaution to ensure the safety of our staff, animals and guests." He has been operating the private zoo since 1993.

Tanya Osegueda, a spokeswoman for Project Survival, said the 4-year-old male lion named 'Cous Cous' had been raised at Cat Haven since it was a cub. Project Survival is the nonprofit that operates the animal park.

Cat Haven is normally closed on Wednesdays, and only one worker was there aside from Dianna, said an officer. It is unclear why volunteer Dianna entered the cage on the day of her death. She was reportedly too new on the job to be allowed in the enclosure alone.

Cat Haven has been a sanctuary to many big cats, including tigers and leopards. It is regulated as a zoo by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to Christian Science Moniter.

Actress Tippi Hedren, founder of the Shambala Preserve in California for seized or abandoned exotic pets, expressed sadness over the killing of the lion.

"It wasn't the lion's fault. It's the human's fault always," she said.

Nicole Paquette, Vice President of the Humane Society of the United States, said of the victim, "She should never have been in the enclosure with them. These are big cats that are extremely dangerous, and they placed a volunteer in the actual cage with a wild animal. That should have never happened."