UK couple receives insurance money after water buffaloes fell into their swimming pool

Over 10months after 18 water buffaloes entered their home and took a dip in the $86,000 (£70,000) swimming pool, damaging it and the nearby garden in the process, a couple in the UK hasfinally received compensation from the insurance company.

According to a Guardian report, NFL Mutual, the insurance company, finally agreed to the full $31,000 repair bill, which was still short of the previous two quotes given by the Smiths'.

“We apologise for the delay in paying this claim and in particular, the initial wait for an inspector’s visit, which took too long and fell short of our usual standards. We have a duty to all of our members to ensure we validate the cost of claims and in this instance, we needed to gain further assurance around the costs involved in repairing the damage," the insurance company said.

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Fire brigade thought it was a hoax call

Last year in July, bothAndy and Lynette Smith were left shocked when they saw the muscular animals, each weighing over 600 kg, escape from abreeds farm and arrive on their property. The herd was able to escape the farm after an electric fence failed and they were able to scale a wooden fence and hedge separating the field from Smiths' garden.

“When my wife went to make the morning tea, she glanced out of the kitchen window and saw eight buffaloes in the pool,” said Andy Smith.

“She called 999 and was told the fire brigade doesn’t accept hoax calls. It took some persuading to get them to take us seriously. When they arrived, one of the buffaloes, spooked by their hi-vis jackets, headed straight at them.”

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According to Andy, the buffaloes altogether managed tocause$31,000 (£25,000) worth of property damage during the 15-minute incident.The CCTV footage released showed a buffalo wandering into the garden early in the morning.

“Buffaloes are top-heavy and the porcelain tiles round the pool were slippery so they lost their grip and once they were in, they couldn’t get out again,” said Smith. “The previous afternoon, we had hosted a pool party for our young grandchildren and their friends. If the invasion had happened hours earlier, it could have been very serious.”

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CCTV footage released showed a buffalo wandering into the garden early in the morning. It strayed too close to the pool and fell into it. Soon, other buffaloes ran across the garden and what followed was15 minutes of chaos. Seven other buffalo fell into the pool, leaving the water murky and dark in colour.

(With inputs from agencies)

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