A Wild Animal as a Pet
Envtl. Conserv. Law § 11-0512 — no wild animal may be kept as a pet
No one may knowingly possess, harbor, sell, barter, transfer, exchange or import any wild animal for use as a pet in the state, or intentionally release one that is lawfully kept.
Who handles this in New York: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the New York directory.
The rule does not reach licensed zoos, licensed exhibitors, research facilities, veterinarians and shelters holding an animal temporarily, wildlife rehabilitators and sanctuaries, or a traveler passing through for no more than ten days, as long as the animal is not kept as a pet. People who already had a wild pet when the section took effect could keep it for life with a license, if they were twenty one years of age or older and met the section's conditions.
Which animals count as wild animals is set by the definitions in the same law, not repeated here. Whether a particular animal can be kept is a question for the Department of Environmental Conservation or a licensed New York attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Envtl. Conserv. Law § 11-0512 — Wild animals as pets prohibited
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New York attorney.