An insurance company has been forced to pay out over 1.5 million rubles after nearly 3,000 turkeys in the Tambov region of Russia were spooked to death by a lizard.
A lizard had strayed into the turkeys' holding area at a poultry farm, causing mass panic and a stampede into a corner of the room, leading to the death of 2,848 birds by asphyxiation.
“The cause of death of the 2,848 insured animals in the Tambov region was asphyxia as a result of pulmonary edema, because of a large pile-up of birds in one spot due to fright from a reptile that penetrated into the bird's containment cage,” read a statement on the insurance company’s website Monday.
After arguing their case and providing the necessary documents, Tambov Turkey received the insurance pay out of 1.57 million rubles (around $26,300 dollars). The internationally-owned enterprise manages over 660,000 turkeys which are insured against accidents, natural disasters, diseases and poisoning.
It's unclear which of those groups 'lizard scare' falls under.
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The exact species of lizard has not yet been determined.