Cat Haven Founder: 'Victim Accidentally Left the Gate Open'

March 15, 2013 Updated Mar 15, 2013 at 6:21 PM PDT

Cat Haven founder Dale Anderson says Dianna was as professional as could be... It was just a simple mistake that proved to be fatal.

"I think it's just a mistake that she left the door open and that allowed cous cous the lion to get access to her in the main enclosure."

That's all it was...

A simple mistake...

Kind of like any of us running a red light, as Cat Haven founder Dale Anderson puts it...

The kind of mistake that can, and did, have fatal consequences.

"I want people to understand that dianna was a professional with what she was doing. I trained her myself."

It was dianna that left the gate open...

And not the lion that managed to open it, as was previously reported.

Another misconception anderson wanted to clear up, is that Dianna was not on her cell phone at the time.

"If she's on her cell phone, that makes it sound like she's not a professional doing her job she was trained to do. I don't want to impede her reputation. she was a good keeper. she did a very good job with what she did."

Anderson also says Dianna was not mauled...

The official word from the coroner's office is that she died from a broken neck.
Also, Dianna was not showing off for a boyfriend.

He says the only other person at the facility at the time was Dianna's coworker, Meg Pauls...

She's the one that discovered Dianna's body, called 911, and secured the facility for deputies, who put the lion down.

"She just made a mistake, and the mistake ended up being costly for both her and cous cous at that point."

Project Survival Cat Haven is now bracing itself for a setback...

Anderson is not surprised...

Schools have cancelled field trips...

But he wants to reassure everyone, that this facility is safe and secure... And approved as such by the USDA, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The facility is getting a lot support from the community...

A memorial fund that's been set up in Dianna's name has already brought in nearly $7000, and donations are coming in from across the country.

A celebration of life is being planned for Dianna back in her home state of Washington...

The Cat Haven is also making even more plans to memorialize her.

In our web exclusive... Dale Anderson has much more to say on the investigation... and clears up the misconceptions.

You can find that interview right here on KSEE24.com.