Big Cats, Bears and Great Apes
S.C. Code 47-2-30 — no lions, tigers, non native bears or great apes, except ones kept before 2018
No one may bring into the state, keep, buy, breed or sell a large wild cat, a non native bear or a great ape, including online. That covers lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cougars, cheetahs, snow leopards and clouded leopards, bears not native to the state, and chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, and their hybrids.
Who handles this in South Carolina: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the South Carolina directory.
Animals kept before 2018 could stay. Someone legally keeping one before January 1, 2018, could keep it for the rest of its life after registering it with the local animal control authority, with a $500 one time fee per site and $100 a year per animal, an escape plan for first responders, and a duty to report an escape at once.
Other exotic animals, such as monkeys that are not great apes, are not covered by this chapter. Whether a particular animal may be kept is a question for local animal control or a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- S.C. Code 47-2-30 — Possession or purchase of large wild cat, non-native bear, or great ape prohibited
- S.C. Code 47-2-10 — Definitions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.