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Two brothers who saw their two-year-old sister mutilated and seriously injured in an attack by a Brazilian tapir at the Dublin Zoo received damages of € 33,000 each for nervous shock.
Judge John O’Connor, in approving the compensation payment of € 66,000 today in the Civil Circuit Court, heard that the children, Daithi and Cathal Owens, were only eight and six years old when the tapir, named Rio, launched the attack. during a visit. by his family to the zoo in August 2013.
His sister Katie, who suffered serious injuries to her arm and stomach, was saved when her mother, Patricia Frost, risked her own life by throwing her body at the enraged animal and between it and her daughter.
Attorney Francis McGagh told the court that the tapir attacked after the Owens family, who were visiting the Shrule Zoo, Co Mayo, entered the enclosure for a close-up with the animal and its newborn calf, Jenny.
The attack made world news at the time and the Zoological Society of Ireland was charged with violating health and safety regulations but was spared a criminal conviction after agreeing to pay 5,000 euros to local charities.
Katie, after receiving first aid treatment at the zoo, underwent emergency surgery at Temple Street Children’s Hospital. His mother was admitted to Mater Hospital and received treatment for injuries.
McGagh, who appeared with Cathy McDarby from Mayo attorneys McDarby and Co., told Judge O’Connor that Daithi, now 15, and Cathal, now 13, had visited the zoo with their parents Darragh Owens and Patricia Frost. , and her siblings Ruari, now 17, and Katie, now nine, and by agreement through a friend she had been allowed, with a zoo keeper, to enter the tapir enclosure.
The tapir, generally a docile mammal, is believed to have attacked after an “excited screech” from Katie, lifting her up with its mouth and shaking her violently.
In a split-second response, her mother had thrown herself on the tapir, pulling her daughter out of the animal’s mouth, while the zookeeper and the girl’s father contained the attacking animal.
McGagh, who, with Cathy McDarby, has represented the family during their seven-year legal proceedings, told Judge O’Connor that Daithi and Cathal had suffered significant psychological trauma as a result of the incident, including disturbing memory incidents, nightmares. and anxiety.
“The guys were terrified, shocked and shocked,” McGagh said.
He said the publication in a medical journal of Katie’s horrific injuries and the subsequent publication of the images in the general media had no doubt greatly exacerbated the family’s distress.
McGagh has already told the Circuit Civil Court, which is limited to damages of up to € 60,000, that a personal injury lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Katie and on behalf of her parents in the unlimited financial jurisdiction of the Superior Court.
Two years ago, the Civil Circuit Court approved a 25,000-euro settlement to another brother, Ruari, who was 10 years old at the time of the attack.
Claims on behalf of Mr. Owens and Ms. Frost can be resolved out of court at any time, the court was told.
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