BATON ROUGE - A judge dismissed a lawsuit against BREC after an exotic pigeon nearly bit off a toddler's finger at the Baton Rouge Zoo, court records show.

The lawsuit, filed by Jessi and Urian “Ryan” Clements in 2023, said on Jan. 26, 2022, a Victoria crowned pigeon attacked a 2-year-old girl in an enclosed bird sanctuary open to the public. The parents sued for damages and alleged negligence by zoo officials.

According to the suit, a family caregiver took the Clements' daughter and two sons to the zoo when a pigeon began squawking and attacked the daughter. The lawsuit said the bird bit the child's finger down to the tendon, almost resulting in her losing her finger.

The child had to go to the emergency room and undergo surgery. 

The lawsuit said that BREC failed to ensure the aviary was safe for patrons, failed to warn or eliminate hazards or threats posed by the bird and that it negligently hired, trained and supervised its employees.

The judge, Will Jorden, ruled there were "no genuine issues of material fact" in the plaintiffs’ allegations, court records showed.