Proportion of U.S. states with laws that limit owning or keeping exotic animals

Method/Source: Compiled based on research by Born Free USA, this indicator determines the number of states that have a complete or partial ban on the ownership of exotic animals, not including simply requiring a license. The score is the proportion of states with any law in place establishing a complete or partial ban.

Discussion: Animals classified as “exotic” refer to animals not typically kept in homes as companion animals. Many of these animals are bred for the sake of selling them or are taken from their natural environments and brought into confined lifestyles that is unsuitable for nearly all exotic species. It is important to have strong laws to control and eventually ban the import, sale, and ownership of these animals. Ideally, all 50 states should have at least some limitations on the ownership of exotic animals.

There are currently 20 states with complete bans on owning one or more types of exotic animals and an additional nine states with partial bans. Therefore, 58% of U.S. states have some form of ban or partial ban. Of the states without, all but two have some sort of regulation, either requiring licenses or establishing minimal standards. While these are positive steps, licensing does not reduce exotic animal ownership and the standards of care are often minimal, so only complete or partial bans on owning exotic animals are included in this indicator.

Score: 58

Source: Born Free USA