Family of toddler bitten at Greater Vancouver Zoo bear enclosure sues

The family of a Vancouver toddler who was bitten at the bear enclosure of the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove, B.C., four years ago is now suing the facility.

The incident happened on the evening of Aug. 5, 2019 at the zoo’s black bear enclosure.

At the time, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service confirmed a two-year-old girl had been bitten on the arm. She was taken to hospital in serious condition.

In a civil suit filed last month in B.C. Supreme Court, the child’s father Richard Hanson has now alleged negligence on the part of the zoo.

According to the suit, the girl reached her arm through an “unguarded fence located at the black bear exhibit,” and that a group of bears “attacked and mauled” her arm.

The suit claims the girl suffered a fractured arm, the partial amputation of a finger, loss of muscle tissue, cuts, bruises and scarring, and psychological injury.

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The suit claims the zoo failed to “take reasonable steps to ensure that the premises would not cause (the girl’s) injury,” including failing to install a “proper barrier” between the public and the bears, and that the fence and bears “constituted a hazard to invitees accessing the premises.”

It further claims the zoo and its owners knew the bears had a propensity to harm and “further knew they had been vicious towards persons had had bit or attacked another person or persons.”

In an email, Greater Vancouver Zoo deputy general manager Menita Prasad said the incident had happened “”in an area that is not authorized for public acccess.”

“The Greater Vancouver Zoo adheres to the safety standards put forth by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all patrons and our animals,” Prasad wrote.

“Multiple barriers are purposefully put in place to maintain a safe distance between patrons and our animals.”

None of the claims have been proven in court.