Zoo sued after bears mangle toddler's arm

On Thursday, The Globe and Mailreported that the Greater Vancouver Zoo is being sued after a toddler was attacked by bears into whose enclosure she had reached.

"The notice of civil claim filed in British Columbia Supreme Court by the girl’s guardian, Richard Hanson, says the August, 2019, incident left her with a fractured wrist, and one of her fingers was partially amputated," said the report. "The lawsuit filed last month alleges the zoo and K-Bros Developments Corporation, which owns the property in Langley, B.C., owed a duty of care to the child, who was two years old at the time, given their control of the premises and the bears."

"It says the girl had reached through an 'unguarded chain link fence' at the zoo’s black bear exhibit and a 'group' of the animals 'attacked and mauled' her arm," said the report. "BC Emergency Health Services issued a statement shortly after the incident, saying a patient had been airlifted from the zoo in serious condition. Neither the zoo nor the property owner has filed a response to the lawsuit and none of the allegations have been proven in court."

The lawsuit argues that the zoo knew the bears had a history of being "vicious", but did not take adequate steps to secure the enclosure in a way that would prevent small children from reaching inside.

"The statement of claim says the zoo failed to provide 'any adequate warning of the dangerous conditions' on the premises," said the report. "It claims damages for pain, suffering and loss of life enjoyment, loss of income earning capacity and costs of future care for the girl."

Zoo attacks are uncommon, but can be highly dangerous. Two years ago, a 20-year-old gift shop janitor at a zoo in Naples, Florida was hospitalized after entering a tiger enclosure, where he was mauled in the attempt of "petting or feeding" the animals.