16 Weird Animal Laws That Still Exist In America Today

The United States of America is exactly that, a collection of fifty, nifty, united states and each has its own set of unique laws. Among the states, there are some really weird animal laws that have persevered throughout the years.

Below we take a look at the 16 weird animal laws that stand amount among the weirdest in our country.

In one town in California it is illegal to march down the main boulevard with 2,000 sheep. Elsewhere, it is illegal to bring your ferret with you hunting (not to hunt ferrets). These are, in fact, incredibly weird animal laws.

Georgia in particular has a lot of weird animal laws but each state in the USA has its own quirks so let’s take a look!

Don't Take Your Pet Ferret Hunting In West Virginia

‘This is just a pet ferret, not my hunting companion. Be cool.’ According to West Virginia Code §20-2-5 section 10, it is illegal to “hunt, catch, take, kill, injure, or pursue a wild animal or wild bird with the use of a ferret.” So while keeping ferrets as pets is cool, you cannot bring them hunting and use them to capture wild animals.

Competition Jumping Frogs Have Rights In California

‘Sorry your prized frog died but no, you cannot eat it.’

According to California Code, Fish and Game Code – FGC § 6883, if a frog dies in a frog jumping competition, which are a thing in California, that frog cannot then be eaten. The code stipulates “any person may possess any number of live frogs to use in frog-jumping contests, but if such a frog dies or is killed, it must be destroyed as soon as possible, and may not be eaten or otherwise used for any purpose.” Be kind to your frogs!

Stallions Must Have Privacy In Ohio

Those horse business and it should be private!

In Ohio Revised Code Section 959.19, it is outlawed to let horses mate near public streets. Specifically, Section 959.19 states “no owner of a stallion or jack or the agent of such owner, shall permit it to serve a mare within thirty feet of a public street or alley in a municipal corporation.” Interesting that the onus is on the owner of the stallion and not the mare.

It's Not The Llama's Fault In Georgia

Llamas are no-fault in the Peach State. According to Georgia Code Ann., § 4-12-1 to 7, anyone injured or killed by a llama or when working with llamas is not allowed to sue because they have assumed all the risk. The law stipulates ” an equine sponsor or professional, or a llama sponsor or professional, or any other person, including corporations, are immune from liability for the death or injury of a participant, which resulted from the inherent risks of equine or llama activities.”

Stay Away From That Burning Bird In Virginia

Forest fire? Do NOT save that creature! In Virginia, according to code § 29.1-521 it is “unlawful to hunt, trap, possess, sell, or transport wild birds and wild animals except as permitted; exception; penalty.” That makes sense, of course, but sub-section 5 stipulates that this is also illegal “to kill or capture any wild bird or wild animal adjacent to any area while a field or forest fire is in progress.”

Avoid The Railroad Tracks In Montana

Keep that moose off the tracks! In Montana, Code 81-5-102 stipulates that it is illegal drive animals upon railroad tracks with intent to harm. The code says “if a person willfully drives an animal upon a railroad track with intent to injure the corporation or persons owning the railroad and such animal is killed or injured thereby, the person is punishable by a fine not exceeding $50,000 or imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding 5 years, or both, and is liable for all injury or damage occasioned by reason of such act.” So stay off the tracks!

Leave Bigfoot Alone In Skamania!

Hunting for bigfoot? Not in this town! In Skamania County, Washington, the Chamber of Commerce made it illegal to hunt for bigfoot. According to the Skamania Chamber of Commerce, “the law was originally passed in 1969, amended in 1984 and today harming Sasquatch within Skamania County’s borders could cost you one year of jail time and/or a $1000 fine.” They do, however, encourage people to “shoot” bigfoot with a camera if they can.

Where Can A Dog Get A Decent Bath Around Here In Alaska?

You better bathe that dog yourself in Juneau! In Juneau, Alaska, according to code (GJB § 20.10.020) section 36.25.020, “no owner or operator of public premises where food for human consumption is sold, processed, stored or consumed, barber shops, or establishment for the practice of hairdressing or beauty culture shall allow any domestic animal to enter upon such public premises or to remain thereon.” That means no pet spas or bringing your dog with you to get a haircut. No exceptions!

Do Not Leave Your Giraffe Unattended

Tying giraffes to trees is illegal in Atlanta. This is a contested law because there are a million outlets claiming it is illegal while others nitpick and say there is no specific law stating you cannot chain a giraffe to a pole in Atlanta. However, owning dangerous animals is illegal in Georgia so this one is at the very least technically correct.

Want To Hunt Bats In Texas? Head Up The Stairs

In Texas, it is illegal to hunt bats… anywhere but the top story of a building occupied by people. Texas is widely accepted as the most popular state for hunting so for bats to be off-limits anywhere other than in a belfry is a bit of an outlier in the Lone Star State.

Ferrets Deserve Good Homes Too

Want a pet ferret? Stay away from California and Hawaii! It is illegal to keep a ferret as a pet in both of those states. In California, it is illegal to “import, transport, or possess them without a permit” and in Hawaii they are outright banned due to the threat of rabies which is nonexistent in the Hawaiian islands.

Why All The Hedgehog Hate?

In all five boroughs of NYC it is illegal to keep a hedgehog as a pet. The same is true in Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and California. These are old laws that were put in place to prevent any impact on the local flora and fauna that hedgehogs might have.

Texas Is The Most Restrictive State When It Comes To Roadkill

So you hit a deer in Texas… Well, you can’t eat it. Texas is the only state where eating roadkill is outright prohibited. Most states have exceptions to various rules or outright allow eating of roadkill, but expressly forbid selling it, of course.

Read Next: ‘Look At This Monster’: Texas Man Says Never Go Swimming In Austin’s Lakes. Then He Shows Why

Don't Buy That Fish A Drink

Fish want water, not whiskey. According to Jon Taffer, it is illegal to give fish alcohol in Ohio. Presumably, the same would be true everywhere because that would qualify as animal cruelty by most standards but Taffer and others specifically point to Ohio as a place where it is illegal.

Don't Taunt The Animals In Florida

Imitating a wild animal is illegal in Miami. This antiquated law is somehow still around, according to Florida lore, and isn’t a statewide law but specific to Miami where you cannot stand on one leg and mock a flamingo.

Read Next: Abandoning A Dog In Florida During A Disaster Now Punishable By Up To 5 Years In Prison After Governor DeSantis Signs ‘Trooper’s Law’

1,999 Sheep Is Okay, But 1 More And You're In Trouble

That’s too many sheep! In California, it is illegal to drive more than 2,000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time, a law dating back to when Hollywood was a city independent of Los Angeles. I’d LOVE to know the story behind this one.