In Wisconsin, it is legal for a private resident to own a tiger, a chimpanzee, or a bear. All it takes is a permit. While 20 other states have outright banned private ownership of dangerous exotic animals, Wisconsin continues to rely on a permit system that does little to protect the animals — or the public.

This needs to change. We're calling on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin State Legislature to ban private ownership of non-native exotic animals, including big cats, primates, bears, large constrictor snakes, and wolves.

These animals are not pets. A tiger can weigh over 600 pounds. A chimpanzee is five times stronger than a human. A reticulated python can reach 20 feet in length. No private home, backyard enclosure, or personal property can meet the complex physical, social, and psychological needs of these animals. In captivity, without adequate space, stimulation, and the company of their own kind, they suffer. That suffering is not a side effect — it is the inevitable result of keeping a wild animal in conditions it was never meant to endure.

The danger is not only to the animals. When exotic animals escape or attack — and they do — it is families, neighbors, and first responders who are put at risk. Wisconsin's permit system offers no meaningful guarantee that enclosures are secure, that owners are trained, or that communities are protected. A permit is not a safeguard. It is a piece of paper.

Wisconsin already designates certain species — bears, cougars, wild swine — as "harmful wild animals" subject to stricter controls. The logic is sound. The list is too short. Expanding that designation to include big cats, primates, large constrictors, and wolves, and prohibiting their private ownership outright, is the logical next step — and one that 20 other states have already taken.

Wisconsin should do better for these animals and for public safety. Sign this petition and urge Wisconsin lawmakers to act.