Kathy Milani/HSUS
It’s hard to believe that it is still legal in some states to keep wild animals as pets, but sadly, there is still a handful that allow it.
Beginning January 1, 2018, as reported by the Associated Press, there will be one less state condoning it when South Carolina joins the majority in banning the unfair and dangerous private ownership of animals that clearly belong in the wild.
When the new law is enacted at the beginning of the year, it will be illegal for people to maintain possession of a “large wild cat, non-native bear or great ape.”
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The exact number of wild animals currently being kept as pets is not known for certain, but House Natural Resources Chairman David Hiott said officials estimated that there are less than one hundred statewide.
While he added that the law is about preventing potential tragedies and that no humans had been killed by wild pets yet thankfully, The Humane Society has documented that since 1991 a minimum of 10 incidences of bears, big cats or primates getting loose and or injuring someone in the state had occurred.
In the spirit of the state’s motto which is “Dum Spiro Spero (While I breathe, I hope),” WAN and animal advocates everywhere can only hope that the other states will follow suit.
Alabama, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin are the four states that still have no laws on keeping wild animals as pets.
