Emu on the Loose! Is There Liability For an Escaped Wild Animal in Massachusetts?
There are movies and actual stories of escaped animals from zoos that are found roaming in the city park, on a freeway, or digging into in someone’s trash can. And then there are the rare events when someone who keeps a wild animal on his property forgets to lock the cage and the animal goes exploring. In Franklin, Massachusetts, a town located 26 miles south of Boston, a wild emu, an animal not native to America, was sighted at the side of a road and reportedly terrorizing drivers. News reports of the flightless bird, which must have been as bewildered as the drivers, did not exactly describe what the “terror” was that so alarmed motorists but emus are not small animals. Adults are over 5 feet in length and can weigh close to 90 pounds. They are known to be aggressive and can cause serious injury if you disturb it.
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