Home > Zoos and Aquariums Insurance Guide > Educational Shows (Animals)

This page is part of the broader Zoos and Aquariums Insurance Guide, which provides insights into essential coverage for various animal-related events. If you organize educational animal shows or mobile petting zoos, having comprehensive Zoos General Liability and Aquariums General Liability insurance is crucial for safeguarding your business and assets.

Animal shows and events can be informative, engaging, fun filled and educational, appealing to children of all ages, and adults as well.

Being up-close with and sometimes interacting with live animals can help foster and promote healthy human-animal bonds, something that is so vital today, in a world that is experiencing a drastic drop in wildlife populations with so many species disappearing or being threatened with extinction.

If your business involves running or organizing animal events at amusement parks, carnivals and exhibitions, TV shows and petting zoos for birthday parties, schools and fundraisers, it is important that you have the right type and amount of insurance coverage in place.

But first familiarize yourself with the potential risks that are associated with this type of operation. Identifying them can not only help you zero in on specific insurance that will provide maximum benefit but will also allow you to build a more robust and comprehensive policy.

Operators in this industry should be concerned about:

• Common business risks & liabilities that could disrupt operations and cause significant financial losses
• Animal welfare during handling, training and transport
• The threat and spread of zoonotic disease

While it may not be possible to eliminate all risks, at least with Educational Shows - Animals Insurance you can rest assured that your business and assets are protected and secure against unexpected claims and lawsuits.

This policy can provide the right level of insurance cover and could include:

Business Owner’s Policy

Animals no matter how well trained, can be unpredictable and act-up in different environments and settings or when up-close with humans. Even under close supervision, accidents can occur when animals are being petted, fed, taken for a walk or ridden.

Animal act promoters can be held responsible when unfortunate mishaps at an event cause injury to visitors and spectators or damages property belonging to others.

This is where General Liability Insurance kicks in to protect you from resulting claims or lawsuits.

Sometimes accidents can cause damage to props and other specialized equipment and accessories owned by you. Worse still, your animals are susceptible to many perils, such as theft or accidental injury or death.

Interruptions from these unexpected events can be expensive and result in lost revenues.

For smaller businesses, a customizable Business Owner’s Policy is ideal, combining essential coverages in one package. This could include:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Animal Mortality Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance

Special Event Insurance

Show hosts are painfully aware of how frustrating the cancellation of an event can be. Adverse weather conditions and a bunch of other factors can turn your day upside down, putting to waste all your hard work in planning and preparation. But besides this, there could be financial implications as well. Event organizers risk losing money spent in preparation as well as non-refundable deposits when a show is cancelled, abandoned or postponed.

Event cancellation Insurance is worth considering as it helps protect you from financial loss based on financial commitments that you have made. This policy will reimburse you for lost deposits, non-refundable amounts and other expenses associated with the event.

Some venue providers insist on Event Liability Insurance and ask to be named as an additional insured on your insurance policy.

Commercial Auto & Trailer Insurance

Transporting live animals to fairs, shows, exhibitions and other special events by truck or trailer requires meticulous planning and coordination, and besides presenting animal welfare hazards, journeys can be a stressful time for truckers and handlers as well.

Vehicles used for business purposes need better insurance protection against elevated risks associated with daily business operations.

When a company vehicle is involved in an accident, Commercial Auto Insurance provides higher liability limits that will protect your business from the high costs associated with accidents.

A typical policy should cover:

• Damage to the vehicle insured and driver injury
• Third-party bodily injury and property damage

When is Commercial Trailer Insurance Necessary?

Insurance coverage for trailers is often overlooked and may not be listed on a Business Auto Policy. If this is the case, then loss or damage caused to and by the trailer involved in an accident will not be covered.

Even if your auto policy does support this, limits may be low and insufficient to protect your business.

Commercial Trailer Insurance can provide suitable liability protection to cover third-party property damage and injury when the trailer is involved in a collision with another vehicle or object.

The property component also known as Physical Damage Coverage, protects your trailer asset and provides compensation for own vehicle damage.

This policy can also offer protection from risks factors such as theft, vandalism or fire.

Inland Marine

Operating a Mobile Live Animal Program (MLAP) that may include petting zoos, mobile zoos, live animal shows and educational presentations or demonstrations comes with a unique set of risks and challenges.

A lot of care needs to be taken in animal handling, while loading and unloading and during transport to ensure that your valuable assets in transit to and from these events arrive at destinations in good mental and physical health.

However, animal safety isn’t the only concern for business owners and operators. Damage to specifically designed and constructed containers, pens or enclosures housing different species, in transit or at temporary locations can be expensive to repair or replace.

An inland marine policy protects your business assets during transportation, at offsite event venues (indoor and outdoor) and other third-party locations.

Workers’ Comp

Animal handlers encounter numerous health and safety hazards associated with animal exposure and from handling equipment and supplies.

While bites and crush injuries are quite common, infection and illness from chemical and biological factors can present significantly higher risk exposures, despite the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

This policy will protect employees who suffer an animal-related injury, sickness or disease as a result of their jobs.

Commercial Umbrella Insurance

Liability risks increase when animals and humans come in close contact with each other. Visitors can get injured while petting, feeding, observing or riding animals.

Emergency medical care, hospitalization and medical treatments are usually expensive and sometimes exhaust the limits of existing liability policies. This may also be the case when court costs, attorney fees, damages and settlements associated with claims and lawsuits, far exceed the limits of a primary policy.

Umbrella insurance provides additional protection with extra limits and broader coverage to cover loss exposures that may not be specifically listed in an underlying policy.

Educational Shows - Animals Insurance is a package policy designed to address the specific needs of fair managers, agritourism companies and animal venue operators.

For related coverage tailored to other animal-related operations, you may also find Animal Trainer Insurance Coverage and Aquarium and Zoo Operators Insurance helpful in understanding broader risk categories.