Wild Wisconsin: Exotic Pets You Could Own In The Badger State
Sometimes you come across things that you just can't believe. Did you know there are some wild and exotic animals you can legally own if you live in Wisconsin?
Commonly owned animals in the Badger state are typically cats and dogs. According to Pawlicy, about 59% of homeowners in the state own a pet. If you look further into that data, it shows that about 33% of Wisconsinite's own dogs, and about 32% own cats. It did not break down the specifics of the other percentages, but typically it's horses, fish, birds, and reptiles.
Recently I found out that you can own a raccoon as a pet in Wisconsin, which I find absolutely wild. You do need to obtain a special licensing through the state to legally have one as a pet, but other states you can own a pet raccoon include:
Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Curiosity was getting the best of me, so I wanted to know what other wild animals or even exotic animals you could have as pets in the Dairy State. There are technically no laws regulating private ownership of exotic pets in the state, however, each city has its own ordinances.
For example, Janesville prohibits owning all types of wild, exotic or vicious animals, such as: which venomous snakes, lions, monkeys and alligators. Here is what I could find about exotic animals in Sauk County:
Big cats
Such as Cheetahs, Jaguars, Leopards, Lions, Lynxes, Pumas, Snow Leopards, and Tigers.
Primates
Such as Apes, Baboons, Monkeys
Sharks
Rhinos
Constrictor Snakes
Only ones that are less than 3 feet in length.
Elephants
Alligators & Crocodiles
Hippos
Wolves
Hyenas
Poisonous Spiders
Piranha Fish
Only exceeding 6 inches in length.
Of course, animals of this nature and other exotic animals can be found throughout in Wisconsin in deer zoos, petting farms, deer parks, and wildlife parks are among those required to be registered or licensed.
Other exotics that can be owned in Wisconsin are:
Lemurs
Sloths
Kangaroos
Capybaras
Wallabies
Zebras
According to the Wisconsin DNR, they offer several different licenses: a captive wild animal farm license, a nonprofit educational exhibit license, and the nonresident temporary exhibiting license.
Do note that according to Animal Legal and Historical Center, the Wisconsin wildlife laws require a license to take a wild animal from the wild or to import one into the state. A license is also required to exhibit, breed, rehabilitate, hunt, and/or purchase wild animals. Violations can result in fines, forfeiture, and/or imprisonment.