Connecticut's Exotic Pet Ban: What You Need to Know

0:00It's April 7th. Welcome to Harford News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with the story. Connecticut's got some of the tightest rules in the country on exotic pets, especially if you're eyeing something wild for summer. State law, straight up bands, private ownership of big cats like lions, leopards, and jaguars, plus primates such as derillas and chimps, all bears, wolves, coyotes, alligators, kangaroos, and venomous snakes like cobras or large pythons. Those laws got locked in after a brutal chimpanzee attack back in 2009 in Stanford that left the woman blind and disfigured. Lawmakers passed a big bill that October, shutting down most exotic ownership, cold with narrow exceptions for zoos, research spots, or certified, service primates for folks with severe mobility issues, nothing for emotional support. The bands hit hard to shield native wildlife from invasive and diseases. Like red-eared slider turtles, now illegal to buy or release since they, crowd out

1:01locals and spread illness. Native turtles and salamanders are off limits too, you can only keep up to three spotted or marbled ones. On the flip side, hedgehogs, ferrets, sugar gliders, chinchillas, and even tarantulas are fair game, though spiders got to come from private sales. Some towns like Streford, ban all pythons, and boas outright. Author space spines up to $1,000, plus bills for seizing and caring for the animal. Enforcement's rare since most owners play it straight and illegal trade stick to small stuff, authorities say check the rules first to avoid the drama.