Can You Have A Bear As A Pet In Michigan?
It’s a simple question – can you have a bear as a pet in Michigan? This all started with a story out in California about a bear living under someone’s house…and they’re cool with it!
The Bear in the Crawl Space
There’s a family in California that has a bear living under their house – seriously. The bear has been there for at least a week and the owners of the home don’t seem too worried. Here’s a quote from the owner: “It’s a little weird… about to have a baby and knowing that there’s a bear under the bedroom where you’re going to be putting the child. But he, I mean, other than trash, it’s basically just a nuisance. He’s never messed with anybody,”
The bear is tagged by the wildlife folks in California, so the Tate family seems okay with it – but may have it kicked out when the baby comes (ya think?). Now back to the original question:
Can you have a bear as a pet in Michigan?
The short answer is NO. There are currently six states in the United States that allow you to have a bear as a pet (Wisconsin, Alabama, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nevada). Michigan has the “Large Carnivore Act” that prohibits it (although we’re not clear on the Hamm’s Beer Bear)
The Large Carnivore Act focuses on the ownership of animals classified as “large carnivores,” such as lions, tigers, cougars, bears, and wolves. Under this law, Michigan residents are prohibited from owning these animals without obtaining the necessary permits from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Of course, if you really want to see some bears here in Michigan – may I suggest a road trip to Oswald’s Bear Ranch in Newberry (that’s the U.P…but not that far over the bridge). It’s one of my favorite places to visit when going up north. And the bears are behind fences, not under your house.
And if that’s not enough bear talk – there’s a black bear wandering around Ludington before a pub crawl.