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:

• Bears
• Lions
• Tigers
• Leopards
• Ocelots
• Jaguars
• Cheetahs
• Margays
• Cougars
• Lynx
• Bobcats
• Jaguarundis
• Wolves
• Coyotes
• Hyenas
• Venomous medically significant reptiles
• Flying fox
• Mongoose
• Meerkats
• European rabbits
• Indian wild hogs
• Multimammate rats or mice
• Raccoon dogs
• Rosy pastors
• Doiches
• Java sparrows
• Red-whiskered bul-buls
• Snakeheads
• Walking catfish
• Ruffes
• Silver carp
• Bighead carp
• Black carp
• Round and tubenose gobies
• Rudds (except Paul, if he needed a place to stay)
• Stone morokos
• Zanders
• Wels catfish
• Yabbies
• Zebra mussels
• Mitten crabs
• Rusty crayfish
• Filler shrimp
• Golden mussels
• Brown tree snakes

If you were planning on getting one of these animals as a pet, we’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news…