Monkeys running wild: Is there insurance coverage?

Coverage Q&A: Monkeys recently escaped in a neighborhood. Would home or commercial insurance cover losses if they caused damages?

Five monkeys owned by a neighbor of an FC&S colleague recently escaped and ran wild throughout the neighborhood. (Photo: LindaPhotography/stock.adobe.com)

Every claim is different, and some insurance policies can be difficult to interpret for unique situations. FC&S Expert Coverage Interpretation, the recognized authority on insurance coverage interpretation and analysis for the P&C industry, makes it simple to find credible answers to your complicated coverage questions. Analysis brought to you by our FC&S experts. 

Editor’s Note: Some of our favorite questions have to do with animals. We’ve answered questions about skunks, raccoons, bats, rodents, deer, and even a feral house cat that jumped a woman in her vehicle. We’ve explained the difference between rodents and mammals and discussed which animals are considered vermin. This week, however, we have a much rarer animal on the loose: monkeys. How do monkeys fit into the standard exclusions for animals, or are those exclusions strictly geared to the types of animals we’ve already discussed?

Question: An FC&S colleague recently told us about an incident that happened around her home. A nearby neighbor has a private collection of monkeys. One day, five escaped the home and were running through the neighborhood. 

Our colleague wondered about how homeowners and commercial property policies would respond if the monkeys caused property damage. Is there coverage? 

— FC&S Colleague in Kentucky 

Answer: To learn the answer to this week’s coverage Q&A, please log into your FC&S Expert Coverage Interpretation account.

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