ILLINOIS (NEXSTAR) – Pets are a great addition to any home, but some Illinoisans might be curious to know if there are any animals they aren’t allowed to own as pets.
While certain animals require a permit to own, such as a raccoon, others are considered dangerous by Illinois law and are illegal to own in any capacity.
The state law specifies, “no person shall have a right of property in, keep, harbor, care for, act as custodian of or maintain in his or her possession any dangerous animal or primate except at a properly maintained zoological park, federally licensed exhibit, circus, college or university, scientific institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, hound running area, or animal refuge in an escape-proof enclosure.”
According to that law, these are the dangerous animals Illinoisans are not allowed to own as pets:
Lion
Male Lion, Kalahari, South Africa (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Tiger
Portrait of a Royal Bengal Tiger alert and Staring at the Camera. National Animal of Bangladesh (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Leopard
Leopard hunting in savannah (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Ocelot
Ocelot rests on a tree. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Jaguar
Close-up view of a Jaguar (Panthera onca) (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Cheetah
Portrait of a wild female cheetah (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Margay
Margay, Leopardis wiedii, beautiful cat sitting on the branch in the tropical forest, Panama (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Mountain Lion
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Lynx
Close-up portrait of a beautiful young Eurasian lynx or bobcat in the forest. Wild cat eyes looking into camera. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Bobcat
A bobcat on a rock in the snow. The bobcat is looking at the camera. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi, herpailurus yaguarondi, Adult standing on Branch (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Bear
Close-up of female Eurasian brown bear (Ursos arctos) and her cubs in boreal forest, Finland. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Hyena
Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) on the Khwai River in Botswana, Africa, (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Wolf
Gray wolf, Canis lupus in winter forest background. Animal in the nature habitat (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Coyote
Coyote in nature during spring (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
