In 2023, a large share of Russian insurance claims tied to bites from animal encounters came from incidents with wild dogs or failed attempts to domesticate a wild animal. This insight was shared by the press service of Rosgosstrakh with information provided to socialbites.ca.
Dog bites made up a notable portion of claims, while cat bites represented 8.3% of the total.
The highest payout went to a 60-year-old resident of Bashkortostan who sustained injuries from a dog bite, receiving 14,100 rubles. Two other significant cat-bite payments, each around 10,000 rubles, were also issued to Bashkortostan residents.
Bashkortostan led the country in the number of bite-related insurance claims this year, accounting for about 14% of all reported damages. The top five regions with claims also included Kirov, Udmurtia, Ivanovo, and Sverdlovsk.
Less common incidents involved snake bites, reported by residents of Sverdlovsk and Kirov regions. These cases did not result in severe health consequences, and insurance payouts for these events were 1,800 and 3,100 rubles, respectively.
On the more unusual side, there were reports of a serious bite from a rabbit in Udmurtia, a bite from a domesticated mouse affecting a resident of Kostroma, and a raccoon bite affecting a child in Kaliningrad. The note was added with a lighthearted remark, as the author mentioned attempting to tame it.
According to Anton Malyarov, head of the personal insurance payment department at PJSC Rosgosstrakh, the relatively modest payment amounts for bite incidents are explained by the fact that bites seldom lead to severe health consequences. Additionally, many customers opt for the minimum insurance amount when signing contracts. In classic personal injury policies, compensation for bodily injury is calculated using a standard table that takes into account the injury’s severity and the insured amount, which consequently influences the final payout.
Earlier reports mentioned an incident where Moscow residents were approached by a monkey at an entrance.