Topgolf Faces Legal Action Over Birds Trapped in Netting Systems

Legal Demands and Animal Cruelty Allegations

The legal action centers on the physical toll exacted by the massive netting enclosing Topgolf’s 103 national venues, which include one location in New York and three in New Jersey. Marino argues that allowing trapped birds to suffer, sustain injuries, or die constitutes an active violation of animal cruelty laws, specifically in New York state. In her letter, Marino demanded that Topgolf secure equipment to free trapped birds “within a reasonable amount of time” while employing “only qualified and/or licensed wildlife rescuers and/or rehabilitators.”

According to Marino, facility operators often avoid cutting the netting to free entangled animals because replacing the material is costly. Instead, she alleges that untrained staff pull the birds through the mesh, resulting in broken bones, feathers, and wings. “The animal does not have to die for it to constitute animal cruelty,” Marino stated, noting that the sheer terror and trauma of being trapped amount to unlawful harm.

Incident Reports Across National Locations

Wildlife rescue organizations have documented multiple severe incidents at Topgolf facilities in recent weeks. Frank Floridia, president of the Strong Island Animal Rescue League, reported receiving two separate emergency calls last month regarding hawks tangled in the netting at the Holtsville, Long Island location.

During the first incident, Floridia stated that a customer alerted staff to a trapped bird while patrons and employees blew horns and threw golf balls at the creature in an attempt to dislodge it. Floridia noted that the facility kept operating and stayed open for hours while the hawk remained stuck. Although Topgolf contacted local police and fire departments, available 100-foot ladders failed to reach the height of the netting. The bird eventually freed itself, though its survival remains unconfirmed. A second entanglement occurred at the same facility a week later, prompting staff to close the venue more quickly.

Barbara Walker, president of the Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue, detailed a similar occurrence in February at the St. Petersburg, Florida location, which sits near a nature preserve. A visitor sent Walker video footage showing eight vultures trapped in the netting, describing them as throwing up midair. Walker subsequently searched social media and uncovered numerous additional videos and reports, including footage of fire departments using hoses to spray trapped birds and a bald eagle struggling on the ground within the netting.

Estimated Toll and Company Response

Based on the company’s footprint of 103 venues, wildlife advocates estimate a cumulative impact on local bird populations. Walker calculated that if each location traps an average of five birds annually over an eight-year span, approximately 4,120 birds have been affected, a figure she warns could increase exponentially in future years.

Rescuers maintain that Topgolf lacks a standardized, company-wide protocol for handling wildlife entanglements. Walker criticized the reliance on untrained personnel attempting complex rescues without species-specific knowledge, while Floridia emphasized that safely extracting raptors requires professional wildlife rehabilitators. Topgolf did not respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations or the legal demands.