As a safety net, insurance not only provides coverage whenroutine losses occur, but for bizarre exposures as well. That factwas vividly confirmed when National Underwriter asked readers fortheir strangest claims stories. Indeed, perhaps the most importantlesson to be gleaned from these unusual tales is to steer clear ofanimals, no matter how harmless they might appear to be.

For example, Michael Burroughs, workers' compensation unitleader for Montgomery Insurance in Charlotte, N.C., wrote about aphysical education teacher who had injured her knee while playingwith one of her classes. During her recovery, the teacher wouldstop in at the school to pick up her check and visit with thestaff.

After one such trip, Burroughs wrote, "while on her way out thedoor, [the teacher] heard something in one of the large trash bins.Inquisitively, she hobbled over on her crutches to see what thenoise was, and as she got to the trash bin and looked inside...outjumped a squirrel!"

The squirrel startled the teacher, causing her to jump back totry to get away -- exacerbating her existing injury. "To this day,"Burroughs wrote, "we are still trying to track down that squirrelto try to subrogate our losses!"

And it's not just workers' comp or general liability carriersthat have to cope with animal-related claims. Auto insurers shouldalso be on the alert.

"As an agent of only five years at the time, the strangest claimI had ever heard was when one of my insureds called to report anattack by buffalo to his van," wrote Sue Vargovich, an agent withEffler Schmitt Company in Toledo, Ohio.

The insured had been driving through an animal safari, and thecar in front of him had been feeding the animals before moving on,Vargovich wrote.

"It was then that several buffalo decided they were still hungryand started pushing the front of the vehicle, ramming and ramminguntil the hood and front end were damaged." Luckily, she added, theinsured was able to make his escape.

Rachel Lightfoot, a senior compliance analyst with Merastar Auto& Home Insurance in Chattanooga, Tenn., also wrote in aboutanimals with a strange "herd" mentality. "My dad does work as ageologist and hydrologist, often having to take soil and watersamples," she wrote. "Once he had to park in a field in

which some cows were grazing."

The cows were far enough from the car that he didn't worry aboutthem, Lightfoot said, noting that her father went about thebusiness of collecting his samples.

"When he came back to his car some time later, he found itsurrounded by cows who were rubbing against it, biting it, kicking,etc.," Lightfoot wrote. "He couldn't tell whether the cows feltattracted or threatened. When he was finally able to get them awayfrom his car, Dad found strange scratches and dents everywhereexcept the roof."

Her father called to ask if this damage would be covered, andLightfoot said "that definitely met the definition of 'other thancollision.' "

Tim Ward, an executive vice president at Senn Dunn inGreensboro, N.C., wrote of a similarly strange experience,suggesting that the answer to the cows' bizarre behavior may nothave been in where Lightfoot's father had parked, but where he hadbeen beforehand.

Ward sent in his tale of an insured driving back from anunsuccessful fishing trip on the coast. As he was driving, theinsured decided to take one last try at catching something, andstopped to fish in a friend's farm pond in the middle of a cowpasture.

"A herd of cows gathered around the car while he was fishing,but he thought nothing of it until he got ready to leave. As heapproached the car he saw a cow chewing on something that was longand black. Each time the cow chewed, the black object bobbed up anddown," Ward wrote.

"Curious, he walked over a little closer and realized that thecow was chewing on his windshield wiper! He ran screaming to hiscar, waving his arms and shooing the cows, only to discover thatthey had licked his auto from one end to the other, and had eatenthe rubber seals from around the windows," he added.

The reason for such strange behavior is fairly simple, he wrote."Cows like salt," Ward explained. "His car had been parked next tothe ocean for two days. They saw it as a huge salt lick."

The insured called to explain what had happened. "He said hiscar was covered with gooey slobber, the paint was ruined, and allthe windows were jangling as he rode along because there was norubber to hold them in place," Ward wrote. "He wanted to know ifcomprehensive coverage was really comprehensive."

Luckily for the insured, it was, and the carrier paid the claimto repaint the car and replace the seals.

This article originally appeared in The National UnderwriterP&C. For the complete article, please click here.