Who's really at fault in sea lion attack

Is anyone liable in this case? No. First, this happened in Canada. American and Canadian personal injury laws have procedural similarities, but Canada is considered a more conservative jurisdiction, less favorable to plaintiffs.

Roman law divided animals into two groups, a distinction that persists today. The first is animals domitae naturae or mansuetae naturae — that is, tame or tamed, domestic animals. Then there’s animals ferae naturae — wild, untamed animals.

Landowners in the United States and British Columbia, like the owners of a wharf surrounded by sea water, do not “possess” the indigenous sea lions that frolic around it. Wild animals are generally not predictable or controllable, and therefore, the landowner is not legally responsible for them when they wander close to humans and attack.

There are exceptions to this rule, such as if the landowner has captured the wild animal or kept it chained in a pen on the property as an exhibit. What if the wharf owners knowingly throw out extra fish guts to attract the sea lions, which in turn attract the paying tourists? Legally, it’s a closer call.

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