Exotic wildlife includes, but is not limited to all bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves, and any crossbreed of these animals that have similar characteristics in appearance or features. Need home insurance in Pennsylvania? Check out our Pennsylvania home insurance guide. Summary of the state law : No person may possess, without first obtaining a permit from the department, animals of the following orders, families, and genera: Primates, Carnivores, Amphibia, Reptilia, Canidae, and Insecta.
People obtaining a permit must demonstrate they have both adequate facilities, and adequate knowledge of animal health and husbandry to ensure both public safety and health. Tiny Rhode Island still has room for some wildlife adventures, as you can see in the video below.
The Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, Rhode Island is the perfect place to spend a quiet weekend morning, taking in all the sounds of protected wildlife while also enjoying a lovely stroll by yourself or with some loved ones. Summary of the state law : A permit is required to possess any non-domestic mammal, or any hybrids of the following orders: Carnivora Felidae, non-domestic; Canidae, non-domestic; Ursidae, bears; Mustelidae; and Hyaenidae ; Artiodactyla hoofed animals ; and Perissodactyla Tapiridae and Rhinocerotidae.
In addition, all animals including those listed above and non-human primates and reptiles must be examined by a veterinarian and be free of any contagious, infectious, epidemic, or communicable disease. No person may possess non-domestic pigs or raccoon dogs. Summary of the state law : No person may possess a dangerous wild animal without first obtaining a license certificate of registration.
Dangerous wild animals are defined as lions, tigers, ocelots, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, bobcats, lynxes, servals, caracals, hyenas, bears, coyotes, jackals, baboons, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, or any hybrids of the animals listed. However, there are no requirements for a person possessing all other animals not listed above, such as monkeys, wolves, etc.
Citation: TEX. The pressure is mounting for state and local governments as well as the federal government to act legislatively to protect exotic animals both on the level of animal welfare and public safety. But there are still four states with no exotic pet statutory or regulatory scheme in place, which can be seen in the graphic below.
Summary of the state law : No person, firm, corporation, partnership, or association may possess, sell, offer for sale, import, or cause to be brought or imported into the state the following fish or animals:.
However, there are no requirements for a person possessing exotic animals, such as lions, tigers, monkeys, etc. Summary of the state law : Specific animals are prohibited from private ownership except if the animal was in possession before February 28, Examples of such animals are the following: alligators, crocodiles, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, etc. However, other exotic animals may be possessed without a permit or license.
Examples of these exotic animals are monkeys and other primates, marsupials, elephants, felines, wolves, etc. Learn more: Car insurance in Nevada.
Summary of the state law : A county or city may by ordinance regulate, restrict, or prohibit the possession of dangerous animals. In addition, an entry permit from the state veterinarian is required before importing into the state a skunk, fox, raccoon, ringtail, bobcat, North and South American felines, coyote marten, and brushtail possum.
Summary of the state law : To import a wild animal into the state, a person must have an import permit and certificate of veterinary inspection. Certain rodents may not be imported unless the person receives authorization from the Department of Natural Resources. A license is required to breed, sell, purchase, and possess certain native wild animal species, and any non-native harmful wild animals, defined as cougars, members of the family Ursidae, wild swine, and feral swine.
Citation: WIS. But even in these states without exotic pet legislation in place, there are liabilities to owning, breeding, or selling animals deemed exotic. What are the liabilities of owning exotic pets? Not surprisingly, the biggest liability of owning an exotic animal is if that animal attacks someone.
Owners of animals deemed exotic are more likely than not to be held to a higher standard of liability financial and otherwise in the case of an attack than those with domesticated animals and their attacks, such as dog bites or cat scratches.
In most states with licensing schemes for exotic animals, common sense is at the center of liability for exotic pet ownership. Many major insurance companies such as Progressive Insurance and Nationwide Insurance now offer specific pet policies. In the case of exotic animal attacks, exotic pet owners may face not only the standard forms of liability in their legal jurisdiction but may even face punitive damages if it can be shown that the animal owner acted irresponsibly in their handling of the wild animal so that an attack was almost inevitable.
According to the experts at Legal Match :. Because legal liabilities are so high for exotic animal owners, insurance is a valuable tool to protect against financial ruin. What insurance is available for exotic pets? There is even insurance specifically for domestic pets , but you should know: Not even these policies always cover exotic animals. Homeowners insurance covers the actual structure of your physical house and your personal belongings. More comprehensive homeowners insurance policies provide money for living expenses in the case of an emergency and liability insurance.
Insurance for pets such as service animals is more common and less expensive than insurance for exotic animals, which requires you to have higher liability coverage given the risks involved. According to our research, damage claims caused by pets are already one of the most common homeowners liability insurance claims.
Many media groups are beginning to launch extensive investigations into the exotic animal trade. What organizations are working to end exotic pet ownership? The organization explains that:. Public zoos and aquariums and environmentally-focused companies coming together represent an essential partnership to keep exotic pet ownership in the sphere of public debate.
Together, they can bring a national voice to an issue that is affecting every state across the country. For those concerned about the exotic animal trade, PETA pleads:. Animal shelters and rescue groups are filled with dogs and cats who need good homes.
Support legislation that would make owning exotic animals illegal in your community and prohibit the interstate sale of exotic animals.
These organizations provide a variety of ways to take action from volunteering to donating to protesting for those passionate about fighting the exotic animal trade both within the United States and abroad. But what about organizations advocating that exotic pet ownership might be a good thing?
What organizations are working to protect exotic pet ownership? Organizations advocating for the owners, breeders, and sellers of exotic animals usually make an argument along the lines of animal conservation. If these animals are endangered, they argue, then it makes sense to breed more of them into existence. Therefore, conservation may depend on private citizens… NAIA supports the responsible ownership of exotics, including the private breeding, sale, and ownership of these animals under regulations that protect their welfare and provide for public safety.
As the public debate surrounding exotic pet ownership continues to expand, we expect more of these species-based lobbying groups to crop up, especially for big cat breeds, who represent the most contentious part of this debate. What are the problems with exotic pet ownership? We asked a variety of animal welfare, public policy, law, safety, and insurance experts or advocates, as well as veterinarians, vet techs, and insurance agents, to weigh in on the pressing issue of exotic pet ownership, sales, and breeding.
Below you can find some of their insightful thoughts on this topic that brings out the passion in a lot of people. There is not one law that covers all exotic animals that is the same across the U. Each city and state has its own laws. For instance, Texas does allow people to own pet monkeys, where Louisiana does not allow people to own pet monkeys. Each species of animal has multiple rules and regulations that the owner must follow. Most of the time, people will get these as cute little pets.
Many people do not realize that these are wild animals that we are bringing into our homes. The majority of their natural, wild habits and behaviors cannot be stopped. Monkeys are known to be aggressive as they get older and even bite and hurt their owners. Sometimes their aggression can cause a lot of problems with neighbors and other family and friends coming over to visit.
If these animals are very aggressive they can bite other people who are in your house and cause a lot of unwanted legal trouble for you. Wild cats are usually very hard to handle in the vet office and have to be sedated before we can do any sort of exam on them.
Most exotic animals do not make good or even safe pets. While I enjoy being able to practice medicine on many of these exotic species, they are not the main pet that I recommended for people to have in their homes. These pets are better to stay in zoos or in the wild. Sadly all too often, people do not do their research before purchasing these species. Another big problem is that these types of exotic animals have a very different diet than they need to continuously adhere to in order for them to be healthy, and there is no commercially made food for these animals to eat.
In most cases, owners would have to cook special meals for these animals in order for them to be their pets. If someone wants a different species of animal, I usually try to direct them to hamsters, rats, snakes, and lizards.
These animals are much more docile, easier, and safer to have as pets. Sara Ochoa is an exotic veterinarian and a veterinary consultant for DogLab.
For the past five years, she has been treating cats, dogs, and exotic animals in Texas. In California, people who own, keep, or control wild animals are responsible for the harm that these animals, no matter how carefully they guard or restrain their animals.
This means that an owner is held liable for their exotic animal, regardless of how much care they took to prevent injuries. Because a wild animal is presumed to be vicious, the owner of such an animal must compensate anyone who is injured by the animal. The California courts have specifically found that this strict liability can be imposed on keepers of lions and tigers, bears, elephants, wolves, and monkeys. And to make matters worse, most insurance policies specifically exclude insurance against exotic animals or wild animals.
Under these policies, insurance companies have no obligation to defend a business from a lawsuit arising out of a wild animal injury. This leaves the exotic owner to bear no pun intended all financial responsibility.
However, there are particular insurance policies that cover exotic animal liability. Such policies provide defense and indemnity in claims made against an exotic owner when the animal causes injury.
Any exotic animal owner should consider obtaining applicable insurance to limit their liability, particularly considering the possible damages that an exotic animal can cause.
Anderson Franco , Esq. He has represented clients on personal injury and catastrophic accident cases since I own four ferrets and have raised ferrets for a decade. As I note in some of my answers below, owning a ferret in California is punishable with jail time, even though ferret products are sold at pet stores throughout the state of California.
In many states, you can own a ferret but cannot legally smoke cannabis. In California, you can legally smoke cannabis but could go to jail if you own a ferret. There is no uniformity between state laws. The most notable laws about ferret ownership are outright bans in California and New York City. Much of the evidence cited to justify their ban is not backed by scientific research and the feared results of legalizing ferrets in California have not been observed in other states.
I have traveled across the country for graduate school and different jobs, and have had to be very careful about checking what the laws are in the cities and states where I would be living.
Likewise, I have not even attempted or considered getting a job in California. Ferrets have thick skin and they bite other ferrets when they play with each other. This sometimes leads to playful ferrets nipping a human when they want to play.
Nipping, essentially, amounts to them putting their teeth on you. My ferrets have never broken my skin. I am more fearful of being scratched by a ferret because their claws can be extremely sharp much like the claws of a cat. With all that said, ferrets that engage in nipping are not actually dangerous. In fact, that is behavior showing that they want to play.
Also, younger ferrets tend to nip more often than older ferrets. It is a behavior that a ferret can easily be trained not to do. Another liability for a ferret owner and anyone that comes near them is that ferrets can transmit the influenza virus.
However, it is not yet known how susceptible ferrets are to COVID or if they can transmit it to humans or vice-versa. Because of this susceptibility, ferrets are commonly used in laboratory research to develop vaccines and other medical treatments such as Tamiflu. The events that led to his arrest started when his ferret allegedly bit a little girl.
He is not the only person to have ever been sentenced to jail for owning a ferret. Brent Utley is another individual who lost his ferret and was sentenced to jail. The biggest issue with owning ferrets is dispelling all of the myths about ferrets that exist.
The general public tends to assume ferrets are mean, ferocious, smelly, and dirty. There is no proof that ferrets are any more likely than a dog or cat to bite a human. In fact, scientific research suggests that dogs and cats bite much more often than ferrets. Essentially, ferrets are like any other pet. If they are treated well and raised in a good environment, then they will be friendly and loving towards humans.
There is a reason for the devoted following of ferrets among individuals in the United States. Get help. In the United States, there has been a growing trend of keeping exotic animals as pets.
However, in order to keep such animals as pets, most states will require that an exotic animal license be obtained. Laws regarding exotic animals will vary from state to state, with many placing certain bans on certain types of animals. Furthermore, obtaining an exotic animal is not necessarily an easy process. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources describes illegal animals as inherently dangerous animals. This classification includes kangaroos, primates, non-domesticated canines, non-domesticated felines, crocodiles, alligators, elephants, bats, piranhas, air-breathing catfish, Gila monsters, cobras, and other venomous snakes.
If you want to have a capuchin monkey as a support animal, a special permit is required. You do not need a permit for sugar gliders or European ferrets. Domesticated rabbits and small rodents are also allowed without permits, except for hedgehogs. For the most part, exotic animals are illegal in Hawaii.
These include bears, large cats, wild canines, wild cat and wild dog hybrids, kangaroos, wild cattle and deer, birds of prey, alligators, geckos and most lizards, hedgehogs, gerbils, hamsters, and ferrets. Pets that are allowed include guinea pigs, chinchillas, domesticated mouse and rat, parakeets, and doves. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture forbids any "deleterious" animal or hybrid that can be a threat to livestock, the environment, agriculture, or wildlife.
Forbidden animals include big cats, non-native canines, primates, hedgehogs, opossum, and wild boar. You can obtain permits from the Idaho Department of Agriculture to keep forbidden animals.
You do not require permits to keep llamas, alpacas, chinchillas, guinea pigs, or minks. Dangerous animals are not allowed to be kept as pets unless you are a zoo, licensed circus, or other acceptable organization. Dangerous animals include large cats, coyotes, wolves, bears, and poisonous reptiles. Primates are not allowed as pets unless they were in possession before and already registered.
You can get an exception for a capuchin monkey support animal with a permit. There are no restrictions on other exotic species. Indiana is one of the more lenient states; it does not bar any animals, but you need permits for most of them. You need permits for Class I squirrels and non-domestic rabbits, Class II mammals, and Class III dangerous exotic animals including large cats, bears, wolves, hyenas, venomous reptiles, gorillas, Burmese pythons , anacondas, and more.
Iowa is pretty straightforward with its exotic pet laws. You cannot possess, own, or breed any dangerous wild animal. The law defines exotics as non-domestic cats and dogs, bears, primates, numerous reptiles, and more. Wolf-dog hybrids and certain cat hybrids are allowed. A permit is required for falconry and keeping raptors. Kansas state law does not allow dangerous regulated animals to be kept as pets unless you are a zoo, sanctuary, or other approved facility.
Dangerous regulated animals include large cats, bears, and venomous snakes. Monkeys are allowed. Ferrets and monk parakeets are forbidden.
You need a permit for falconry and keeping raptors. In Kentucky, no person may possess an inherently dangerous animal, including primates, dangerous reptiles, bears, large cats, honey badgers, and more. Among the animals that are allowed are alpaca, goat, camel, chinchilla, llama, parrot, toucan, and yak. You cannot own a primate, bear, large cats, and wild canines in Louisiana unless grandfathered and previously permitted to do so.
You need permits for venomous or large constricting snakes. Permits are needed to possess or breed wild animals in Maine. You may not own deer, bears, moose, or wild turkeys. Other forbidden animals include lion, cheetah, wolf, monkeys, camel, alligator, monk parakeet, and mute swan. If you have permits, you can keep emu, domestic ferrets, sugar gliders, and chinchillas.
You are restricted from owning a wide variety of exotic pets in Maryland. Wild felines, wild canines, bears, raccoons, skunks , alligators, primates, certain venomous snakes, and other exotic pets are banned from ownership. You are allowed to keep hedgehogs and sugar gliders. In Massachusetts, wild animals cannot be kept as pets. According to the state, wild animals are non-domesticated animals, such as bears, big cats, wild dogs, and primates. You do not need a permit to own ferrets, certain turtles and geckos, doves, emus, chinchillas, sugar gliders, American bison, or llamas.
To keep venomous snakes or Gila monsters, you need a permit. No large cats, bears, and wolf hybrids are allowed in Michigan. Animals not classified as large carnivores or wolf-hybrid, such as monkeys, skunk, emu, alpaca, and llama require a permit. In Minnesota, it is unlawful to possess bears, non-domestic felines, and primates.
This state has restrictions for owners of restricted pets that they acquired before the law changes in Nonregulated animals include porcupines, ferrets, camels, and llamas.
Small felines such as ocelots and servals are allowed in this state without a permit, but inherently dangerous animals, as defined by the state's law, need a permit to be kept as a pet. Dangerous animals include big cats, bears, wild canines, wolverines, primates, elephants, rhinos, hippos, and hyenas.
The permit requirements are steep, and the permit is only valid for one year for one animal. Other animals not requiring a permit include llamas. If you want to own one of the animals on this state's list of dangerous wild animals, you must register it with the county where the animal resides.
This list includes lions, tigers, ocelots, wolves , primates, and poisonous reptiles. You do not require a permit for chinchillas, yaks, servals, or camels. A permit is required if you want to have a "wild animal menagerie. Exotic animals entering the state must have a one-time entry permit and health certificate.
Other prohibited animals in Montana include apes, bats, gibbons, spider and howler monkeys, opossum, raccoon, nutria, skunk, foxes, crocodilians, pythons, anacondas, red-eared slider turtles, and more. Animals not requiring a permit include serval cats, sugar gliders, wallabies, African pygmy hedgehogs, parrots, toucans, and most non-venomous reptiles. You need a license for raptors used in falconry.
According to Nebraska state law , you can keep reptiles or primates. Prohibited animals include non-domesticated felines, skunks, wolves, or bears. You can apply for a permit to keep banned animals.
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