Zoo Insurance: Cost, Liability & Quotes From $5

A zoo is a facility where animals are hosted within enclosures. They are cared for and displayed to the public. In some cases, these animals are bred for conservation purposes. If you own a zoo, you understand the various risks it poses. This is why it is essential to get zoo insurance that protects you from possible lawsuits. 

To enlighten you on the importance of business insurance for zoos, we will discuss it in detail and mention its cost. We will also highlight factors affecting its price and what it covers. 

What Is Zoo Insurance?

It provides protection against the exposures that zoos face.  Such exposures may be lawsuits from the guests, unforeseen business closure, death of animals in captivity, equipment breakdown, and many more.  In addition it consists of numerous policies that provide a solution to the exposures mentioned. These are:

• General liability insurance
• Public liability insurance
• Commercial property insurance
• Workers comp insurance
• Animal in transit 
• Business interruption insurance

Carriers often offer business insurance for zoos having a business owner’s policy. A business owner’s policy bundles general liability and commercial property into one insurance product with lower rates. It also allows the policyholder to add any other custom policies for more coverage without any significant increase in premiums. 

When an employee sustains serious injuries when working in the zoo, they could file a claim against you. The lawsuit could be costly, especially if the employee sustains life-threatening injuries. With an employer’s liability insurance cover, you could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements. Thankfully, petting zoo insurance covers such costs. This will help keep your business stable. 

Mobile Petting zoo insurance

Operating a mobile petting zoo presents unique challenges and risks that necessitate comprehensive insurance coverage. While general liability and specialized animal liability insurance are critical, commercial auto insurance is particularly vital for mobile petting zoos, as it addresses specific vehicle-related risks that can arise during operations.

The Role of Commercial Auto Insurance

Mobile petting zoos frequently transport animals, equipment, and staff to various locations. This mobility introduces risks that are not covered by standard petting zoo insurance policies. Commercial auto insurance is designed to protect businesses from:

Accidents: Coverage for damages resulting from vehicle accidents during transportation.

Liabilities: Protection against claims arising from injuries or property damage caused by the vehicles used in the business.

Vehicle Damage: Coverage for repairs or replacement of vehicles involved in accidents.

Considering these aspects, commercial auto insurance coverage is a must, particularly for mobile petting zoos. This will help the enterprise to cover any financial losses due to vehicles.

Comparison with Non-Mobile Petting Zoo Coverage

In the case of typical petting zoos, the insurance requirements include: general liability, property damage and, animal-related risks. However, while these are important coverages, they do not in any way handle the transportation risks of a mobile operation. Below is a comparison highlighting the differences:

General Liability Insurance for Zoos

Animals in captivity are dangerous, even the most docile ones. In the United States, animal attack incidents in zoos have happened.

In the past 26 years, there have been 256 reported zoo animal attacks that resulted in 33 fatalities. Such frequency means that zoo animal attacks are rare but do happen. 

An animal that’s well documented in zoo attacks is big cats. And since 1990, it’s estimated that there have been at least 300 big cat incidents that have happened in zoos. Here are some incidents:

• January 20, 2008 – A volunteer experienced a broken thumb and lacerations after a cougar attacked her.
• 2007 –  A volunteer at the Capital of Texas Zoo was bitten by a cougar when she reached into the pen to pet the animal

General liability insurance helps as it provides money to the policyholder to cover any lawsuits filed by an injured guest or volunteer. Also, it covers any damage to property too. 

Public Liability Insurance for Zoos

Aside from animal attacks, zoos also have to think about what might happen if animals escape from their cage. Here are some examples:

• May 16, 2012 – 50 animals in Terry Thompson’s zoo escaped. As a result of this, schools had to be closed and community members had to stay in their homes. A lawsuit was filed against the owner because of the incident
• June 21, 2018 – Two male grizzly bears at the Milwaukee Zoo escaped from an enclosure through an unlocked gate and entered an adjacent fenced area

Escape incidents can lead to mass hysteria, leaving many of the guests and even the community in panic. Lawsuits can arise when escape incidents happen  from concerned community members. 

What can give protection  is public liability insurance. Both general and public liability work the same way. The only difference is that general liability works for lawsuits made by a zoo’s guests while public liability works for lawsuits made by the public. 

Commercial Property Insurance for Zoos

Zoos have a lot of assets that need to be maintained and replaced in case of damage. And so, it’s best to have insurance that will cover the cost of doing these things. In zoos, the most common assets commercial property insurance can cover are buildings, cages, enclosures,  and worker safety equipment.  It’s estimated that without insurance,  zoos might need to spend more than $50,000 annually for repair and maintenance. 

Workers Compensation Insurance for Zoos

Those working in zoos are at risk of injuries.  The job is risky because of the likelihood of animal attacks. Here are some examples:

• February 27, 1999 – Two chimps from Hogle Zoo attacked two staff members. The attack resulted in bitten fingers and ears as well as severe lacerations to the face, head, arms, and chest
• May 8, 2019 – An employee was scratched under the chin by an 18-pound, 8- week-old tiger cub at Walnut Prairie Wildside during a public handling session

A workers comp insurance functions to pay for the hospitalization and lost income compensation for an employee who suffered from a work-related injury.  In case of death, workers comp insurance also provides death benefits to the employee’s spouse and children. 

Animal in Transit Insurance

This is a coverage that works when zoo animals are being transported from one location to the next. When zoo animals die in transit, animal in transit insurance helps by reimbursing the policyholder the partial or the full value of the dead cargo. Also, it covers any liability that might arise when zoo animals in transit escape and cause damage. 

Business Interruption Insurance for Zoos

Zoos can sometimes close temporarily because of the following reasons:

• Facing a state-filed lawsuit or sanction
• Conduct safety checks and evaluations of animals inside
• Protect guests from unusually aggressive animal behavior
• Install new facilities and amenities

Business interruption functions to provide money and prevents a zoo from losing any profits because of paying for costs while business operations are at a halt.

Zoo Insurance Cost

• Zoos and petting farms pay an average of $45.42 a month or $545 a year for a $1 million general liability coverage
• The cost of public liability insurance for zoos and petting farms is $65 a month or $780 a year for a $1 million coverage
• Commercial property insurance for petting farms and zoos is $85 a month or $1,020 a year for a coverage worth more than $2 million for equipment breakdown and damage to business property
• Workers comp for petting farm and zoo employees cost $49 a month or $588 a year
• The cost of premiums for animal in transit insurance is 2.5% or 5% of the total value of the animals in transit.
• Petting farm and zoo business interruption insurance cost is $88 a month or $1,056 a year

In addition, here’s a table showing how much the best companies charge customers for zoo insurance:

While the cost of a zoo insurance policy is easy to estimate, several factors determine its price. Here are some of those factors.

Location

If your zoo is located in a busy city you could spend more on your insurance policy. Zoos with high traffic mean more people could sustain injuries in your zoo, increasing the risk of claims and vice versa. Ensure your employees also are entitled to zoo insurance.

The state your zoo business is located in also determines the cost of insurance. Some states have set limits on the kind of zoo insurance policy every zoo business should have. Furthermore, some states also need you to have specific insurance policies that could be costly. Therefore, it is essential to check the laws of your state before getting zoo insurance. 

Number of Employees

Employees play a vital role in the zoo. However The more employees you have, the more expensive your insurance policy will be. Insurance companies will ask how many employees you have before deciding the total cost.

 Zoo insurance will cover their medical expenses in case an employee is attacked by a zoo animal and sustains serious injuries. This is why petting farm insurance will cost more if you have many employees. 

Claims History

The rate at which a claim is filed against your zoo business also determines the cost. If your business faces numerous lawsuits due to injuries or property damage, you will spend more on insurance.

 As a zoo owner, you know the damage animals can cause during the operation of a zoo. For example, during the operation an animal breaks out and scares the visitor and one of the visitors or the employee is injured zoo insurance will cover the medical expenses. This is why insurance companies check the claim history before deciding the price.

Size of the Zoo

How big is your zoo? If you have a large zoo with hundreds of animals, you need a higher insurance policy. This is necessary because the chances of claims or lawsuits are high. Besides, an established zoo attracts an increased number of visitors, meaning the risk of injury is high. When the zoo has many people, injuries could also be many when an animal breaks loose and causes chaos. On the other hand, you won’t need an expensive insurance cover if you have a start-up zoo with only a few animals.

Best Zoo Insurance Companies

CoverWallet Zoo Insurance

Pros

• CoverWallet allows the policyholder to furnish an online certificate of insurance within minutes
• Has an online personal finance advisor
• Has online live chat agents that can help the customer decide the best coverage to get
• Allows the customer to get insurance quotes within 2 minutes
• Offers custom policies at competitive rates

Cons

• Not an insurance company and offers the insurance policies of its partners to customers

Prime Zoo Insurance

Pros

• Offers specialty insurance packages for zoos and zoological societies that have foodborne illness coverage, excess liability, and professional liability insurance
• It also covers aquariums and recreational parks that have mini-zoos
• Available in all 50 states
• Has an in-house underwriting process

Cons

• Some customers reported that Prime insurance might implement hidden charges