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A Taiwanese man was sentenced to two months in jail and fined 3.04
million New Taiwan dollars ($91,350) after his large parrot allegedly
caused a jogger to fall and hurt himself.
The bizarre incident reportedly took place in Tainan, when a man
surnamed Huang took his two pet macaws for a flight in a local park
where people often go to exercise. One of the large birds allegedly
landed on the back of a jogger and started flapping its wings
vigorously, frightening the man and causing him to fall. The nasty fall
caused the man to dislocate his hip joint and fracture his pelvis, both
of which required hospitalization and a long recovery period. He ended
up suing the parrot owner for damages.
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The victim in this case, known only as Dr Lin, told the Tainan District
Court that he spent a week in the hospital and was unable to work for
more than half a year. As a plastic surgeon, he needed to spend a lot of
time on his feet conducting various procedures, so the injuries caused
him serious financial losses.
“He can now walk, but if he stands for long periods, there is still
numbness,” Dr Lin’s lawyer said.
After hearing both sides’ arguments, the court ruled that Dr Lin’s fall
was caused by Huang’s negligence. Because of its size – 40cm in height
with a wing span of 60cm – the macaw was categorized as a large animal,
so the owner should have taken precautions to avoid such accidents.
For “causing unintentional injuries” Huang was sentenced to two months
behind bars and fined 3.04 million New Taiwan dollars ($91,350) as
compensation for Dr Lin’s losses. The bird owner plans to appeal the
decision, as he considers the compensation “too high”.
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