Animals affect claims
New Zealand’s Southern Cross Travel Insurance has brought attention to the increasing number of claims it is receiving from its clients that relate to animal mishaps while on holiday. According to Craig Morrison, CEO of the company, both wild and domestic animals have caused a spike in claims over the past year. He explained: “We’ve had people claim for medical treatment after being stung by a jellyfish or poisonous fish when snorkelling, through to claims for property that’s been chewed up by puppies in the home of someone the insured is staying with.” Some of the more exotic claims the company dealt with last year included a fisherman claiming for a stolen rod after a seal made off with the equipment, while one intrepid amateur photographer claimed for a replacement camera after a leopard decided his kit would make a tasty snack.
New Zealand’s Southern Cross Travel Insurance has brought attention to the increasing number of claims it is receiving from its clients that relate to animal mishaps while on holiday. According to Craig Morrison, CEO of the company, both wild and domestic animals have caused a spike in claims over the past year. He explained: “We’ve had people claim for medical treatment after being stung by a jellyfish or poisonous fish when snorkelling, through to claims for property that’s been chewed up by puppies in the home of someone the insured is staying with.” Some of the more exotic claims the company dealt with last year included a fisherman claiming for a stolen rod after a seal made off with the equipment, while one intrepid amateur photographer claimed for a replacement camera after a leopard decided his kit would make a tasty snack.
Monkeys were responsible for a surprisingly high number of travel insurance claims from customers, added Morrison, with common claims being for sunglasses or wallets that the little blighters stole. More seriously, Morrison added: “I recently read in the Bangkok Post that one local hospital at a Thai beach resort treated around 600 people for monkey bites in the past year – 75 per cent of them foreigners. I get that they’re cute, but you have to remember that they’re wild animals with very, very sharp teeth.” Monkey incidents are most common in areas with large populations of the animal, such as Batu Caves in Malaysia or the Monkey Forest in Bali.