Salt Lake City zoo is sued by family who claims PEACOCK attacked four children including toddler who was ‘scratched in face’ after ‘dangerous bird pounced on her’
- The family of one of the toddler, a two-year-old girl, filed a lawsuit against Utah’s Hogle Zoo in March, claiming four children had been attacked over two days
- They claim that the bird scratched her back and face and hit her in the forehead
- The same bird attacked another child later that day, as well as two children the day prior, the complaint states
- All of the zoo’s peacocks and peahens have now been re-homed but the zoo hasn’t stated whether they will be brought back in future
- The family’s lawsuit claims the two-year-old girl was left with ‘pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring and disfigurement’
By Isabella Nikolic For Mailonline
Published: | Updated:
A Salt Lake City zoo is being sued by a family who claims one of its free-roaming peacocks attacked four children in two days including a toddler who was scratched in the face.
The family of one of the toddler, a two-year-old girl, filed a lawsuit against Utah‘s Hogle Zoo in March, claiming four children had been attacked over two days in late April last year.
They claim that the bird scratched her back and face and hit her in the forehead.
The same bird attacked another child later that day, as well as two children the day prior, the complaint states.
The family of one of the toddler, a two-year-old girl, filed a lawsuit against Utah’s Hogle Zoo in March, claiming four children had been attacked over two days in late April last year. Pictured: One of the peacocks at used to roam the zoo
The same bird attacked another child later that day, as well as two children the day prior, the complaint states. Pictured: Hogle Zoo
All of the zoo’s peacocks and peahens have now been re-homed but the zoo hasn’t stated whether they will be brought back in future.
The family’s lawsuit claims the two-year-old girl was left with ‘pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring and disfigurement’.
Court documents state the peacock leapt at the girl just as her family were leaving the monkey enclosure.
The suit adds that the toddler had been taken out of her stroller just before the attack but was knocked to the ground by the ‘dangerous bird’.
And adds that the zoo is liable because staff didn’t do anything to ‘subdue or sequester’ the bird.
All of the zoo’s (pictured) peacocks and peahens have now been re-homed but the zoo hasn’t stated whether they will be brought back in future
The family also claims that zoo staff told them a peacock attacked another child later that day and two children the day before, according to the complaint seen by the Salt Lake Tribune.
Zoo spokesman Marilyn Hsiung told the publication: ‘Shortly after the incident involving the young guest, Utah’s Hogle Zoo Animal Care Team and Safety Staff swiftly responded and proceeded to successfully capture and relocate all free-roaming peafowl.
‘Currently, there are no free-roaming peafowl on zoo grounds.’
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