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Black Bear among the trash

SWING into naples zoo for Black Bear

something new!

How to Save Your HOA Five Million Dollars

by Tim L. Tetzlaff, Director of Conservation, Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens

id you know property owners Given that people have been injured by bears in Florida, it
can be held liable for not using may be a good time to review policies for your HOA, business,
Dreasonable care to discover or school and put educational programs and BearWise practices
dangerous conditions and to protect in place for both the safety of families, pets, and the wellbeing
their guests from those conditions. of bears – as well as the fiscal bottom line. How we handle our
Before you think I’ve taken off my trash cans is one of the very most important.
conservation hat and hung out an To make all that easier, Naples Zoo created
attorney’s shingle, this scenario is www.floridabear.org which offers boilerplate documents for
relevant to our native wildlife. Not your HOA to use along with an educational PowerPoint and
warning tenants, guests, or vacation other resources crafted by someone who has actually passed
renters about known wildlife activity and risks could potentially the bar. There are similar resources to help with our other large
have very costly implications should an injury occur. native animal at www.thefloridapanther.org. Best yet, these
Likewise, a homeowners’ association (HOA) can have a similar sites also have resources to avoid conflict with native species in
liability as to properties under its control. Without appropriate the first place. It’s the proverbial ounce of prevention to avoid
education or policies, HOAs could be held liable for a native paying for the pound of cure – and helps you to never look at
wildlife injury. And if the HOA liability insurance policy has an injured family member, neighbor, or dog wishing somebody
exclusions from coverage or caps on claims for these incidents, would have done something. With these tools, you can be that
homeowners can be responsible for making up the difference. That somebody and provide this information to your HOA board
means a lawsuit could result in special assessments being levied and neighbors.
on residents by the HOA to cover the additional costs – like those Naples Zoo’s Director of Conservation is a member of the state’s
levied to pay for extensive hurricane recovery. And this isn't a Bear Technical Assistance Group. Since 2014, Naples Zoo has
theory. An HOA and its property management company reached invested over 3.5 million dollars in saving plants and animals in
a $5 million settlement in a 2018 court case involving partial loss the wild and fully funds the annual salaries of 27 field staff in seven
of a limb caused by native wildlife, in that case a venomous snake. countries including two wildlife veterinarians.
Residents not being sufficiently warned about specific higher risks www.napleszoo.org/conserve
known on that HOA property posed by wildlife was a key factor
in the decision.
For the first time in our 50-year history,
Naples Zoo welcomed four Bornean orangutans.

Visit today to meet these red-haired, great apes.

26 Life in Naples | November 2023 Life in Naples | November 2023 27