California generally holds the owners of wild animals or facility owners where exotic birds are kept responsible for all injuries. If you are hurt in someone’s home or at a park or zoo, the owners and operators would be liable. The extent to which the birds were restrained or confined wouldn’t matter. If you are hurt, you can usually hold a bird owner liable.

Bird owners may have homeowners insurance or commercial insurance (for a business or attraction), and unfortunately, giant insurers have gotten good at avoiding blame. You may need a skilled California Exotic Animal Injury Attorney to investigate your case, gather evidence, and demand the maximum in compensation for your recovery.

Seeking Support After an Exotic Bird-Involved Injury

A visit to an Exotic Bird & Poultry Expo or the L.A. Zoo should be about learning and fun. But being around a wild animal like a Macaw or Cockatoo sometimes brings the risk of a painful wound.

Zoos and exhibits aren’t the only places people can get hurt by a tropical bird. The keeping of exotic pets has grown in popularity for homeowners, too, and people might face the risk of a scratch or bite in a friend’s or family member’s home.

If you are bitten or scratched by a bird, California generally holds the bird owner or the facility operator fully responsible for the cost of recovery. Under California law, the bird owners and operators are under “strict liability.” Meaning they are liable for bird-related injuries, no matter the circumstances.

The California Civil Jury Instructions (CASI) are used by judges to explain laws to jury members. They detail the responsibility of wild animal owners under strict liability.

CACI 461. Strict Liability for Injury Caused by Wild Animal – Essential Factual Elements

“People who own, keep, or control wild animals are responsible for the harm that these animals cause to others, no matter how carefully they guard or restrain their animals…”

Under strict liability, the bird’s owner or keeper is responsible for keeping people safe. If an accident occurs, the bird owners would be liable, no matter how many safety precautions were taken. The birds’ history also wouldn’t come into play. Even if the bird had never bitten someone before, in California, the owner is still liable.

This strict liability makes it easier for victims to identify who was responsible and then seek support. As long as there was a bite, the victim wouldn’t usually have to prove negligence, as in a normal personal injury case. The owner would have to accept blame in most circumstances.

Can More than One Party Be Liable After an Exotic Bird Bite?

Yes. There may be several parties found liable after a bird attack. The owner of the bird. Perhaps a property owner who rented out a home to a bird owner or allowed a bird owner to stay in their house would be liable.

Attractions that feature bird encounters and show-and-tells can be liable. People who sell exotic birds would be held accountable for an attack in a store. It would be up to a skilled attorney to determine who should be paying the victim’s medical bills and supporting them while they can’t work.

In some cases, more than one at-fault party may be found. An attorney would file more than one injury claim and have a great chance to earn support for the client from more than one source.

These are a few of the parties that may bear some fault:

• Bird Owner
• Homeowner or Property Owner
• Store Owner
• Zoo or Exhibit Owner
• Park Owner
• City, County, State Government
• Event Organizer

Businesses, zoos, and parks would have commercial liability insurance that victims could draw from while they were down with an injury.

People who simply keep exotic birds as pets may be a different matter. Most homeowners insurance policies wouldn’t cover bird attacks. However, some insurers do sell additional coverage that bird owners can purchase.

If a bird owner had no insurance, the support may have to come out of the owner’s own pocket or from the sale of the property. Your attorney would handle all research and litigation to make sure you ended up with the right level of support to help you rebuild your life.

Can a City or County Department be Liable for a Bird Scratch?

Yes. Some zoos are operated by city entities like the L.A. Zoo, run by the City of Los Angeles. The San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department oversees the San Francisco Zoo.  The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is overseen by Fresno County Authorities.

When this is the case, and you get hurt, your lawsuit may have to be filed against a government agency.

Be Warned! These cases come with an added degree of complexity. Government departments will have special protections against litigation. In many cases, you must seek permission from the City, County, or State to file a claim.

The deadlines are also much shorter for filing a claim against the government. Instead of a statute of limitations of just a couple of years, government cases may only allow you a few months to alert them to your intentions and file a claim. If you miss this deadline, you usually lose all chance of seeking support.

It’s best to go over your case with Maison Law immediately. If you turn your case over to a legal professional, your lawyer makes sure your case is filed correctly and on time. Then your attorney fights to get you the most in compensation possible.

What Type of Injuries Can Exotic Birds Cause?

People think of dogs when they think of dangerous bites, but birds can do some serious damage. Their beaks deliver a powerful clamping force on any appendage. Their razor-sharp claws can do devastating damage to someone’s face or other visible areas.

Care can be tricky. The normal washing of the wound that applies to pet bites still applies. But the National Library of Medicine reports that normal antibiotics like amoxicillin may not be enough to prevent infection with something like a parrot bite.

These are just a few of the injuries that may land you in a California emergency room

• Deep puncture wounds from beak bites and claws
• Lacerations leading to scars
• Eye damage
• Bone Fractures (especially in the fingers)
• Infections
• Nerve damage
• Tissue damage in muscles, ligaments, and tendons

What If My Child Is Hurt in a Bird Attack?

Sadly, curious and playful children are often the recipients of painful wounds from pets and wild animals. Their bodies don’t have as much protective tissue to repel a peck from a bird. Their less-developed bones break more easily under the crushing pressure from a large beak.

Maison Law’s attorneys would be working to earn children even more in support. It’s a necessary precaution because children can suffer more severe injuries, and those wounds can plague them years down the road, especially as they develop into adulthood.

Young victims become teens, and suddenly, a broken bone thought to be healed flares up again. Surgery, restorative measures, and additional physical therapy may be required. Parents and their young children must get enough in a settlement check to cover any future care.

Contact a California Exotic Bird Injury Lawyer Today

If you are hurt by an exotic bird, it’s wise to examine your legal options in a free consultation with Maison Law of California. If a bird owner is to blame, you can demand help with 100% of your medical bills. You can seek help in replacing the paychecks you’ve missed while you’ve been out of work. You may also be in line to receive additional settlement money for the pain you’ve been put through and the emotional trauma you still deal with.

If you need our help to secure more for your injury, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll afford to pay a lawyer. We don’t ask you for any payment unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement that a bird owner or an insurer provides.