Before the distressing 911 call even connects, the caller breathes heavily.
"I need an ambulance. Oh my God. Please hurry," the caller says.
That's the agitated voice of Michael Tuller, the owner of Wild Cat Haven Sanctuary in Clackamas County, Oregon, a private place that houses some 60 big cats. He discovered the lifeless body of head keeper Renee Radziwon-Chapman, 36, inside an enclosure Saturday.
The 911 tapes, released this week, tell of the horror.
"I have a keeper at Wild Cat Haven," Tuller yells. "I think she's dead."
He sounds frenzied and is heard working feverishly, apparently trying to get the muscular cats away from the fallen woman's body.
"Oh my God, Oh my God, oh my God, Renee. Oh my God, Renee. Oh my God .... get! Oh my God, oh my God," he yells.
The dispatcher seems concerned about Tuller.
"Sir, are you in a safe position to go in by yourself?" the dispatcher asks.
"I'm here, I'm here," he says.
"OK, we don't want you to get injured though, we don't want you to get hurt," the dispatcher says.
"Yeah, I hear what you're saying," Tuller says. Then he turns his attention back on shooing the wildcats away.
"Get out of here. Get. Go. Go. Go. Go. Oh my God, Renee. Oh my God Renee, Oh my God. Oh my God," he yells.
The dispatcher tries to assess the situation.
"What kind of injuries does she have?" The dispatcher says.
"Dammit Renee!" Tuller yells.
It may have been at this point that Tuller fully realized that it was too late. The mother of a young daughter was mauled to death by a cougar. For some reason, against policy, she had been in the enclosure by herself, the sanctuary has said.
"We have help on the way to you ... have you gotten, are you in the enclosure right now?" the dispatcher says.
"I'm back out," Tuller says.
"Is your friend still in the enclosure?"
"I got her out," Tuller says.
"OK, can we try CPR?" the dispatcher asks.
"No, no," Tuller says resolutely.
"Do you think she's beyond help?" the dispatcher questions.
"That's a (expletive) question to ask but yes, I do," Tuller says.
"OK, I'm sorry sir," the dispatcher says. "Can I send somebody that way for you to talk to? Like a chaplain or something?"
"I don't know," Tuller screams hysterically. "I don't know!"
The sanctuary has called in an outside expert to investigate the death and the facility's safety policies of the place that is not open to the public. The state is also investigating.
It's a caption contest. There's a big cat in the picture. The news just released a story about a big cat who ate a woman's head off. I said they're cousins.
It's a caption contest. There's a big cat in the picture. The news just released a story about a big cat who ate a woman's head off. I said they're cousins.