Can You Own a Cougar in New York? What State and Federal Law Say

In August 2021, wildlife officials pulled an 80-pound cougar named Sasha out of a Bronx apartment, where her owners had raised her since she was a cub. Her case is the clearest answer to the question many New Yorkers ask before buying an exotic pet: can you own a cougar in New York? The short version is no—state and federal law both treat cougars as prohibited wildlife rather than pets, no matter how the animal was raised or where in the state you live.

This guide walks through what New York’s Environmental Conservation Law says about cougar possession, how the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act adds another layer of restriction, what permits actually exist, and what penalties follow anyone who keeps a cougar without authorization.

Is It Legal to Own a Cougar in New York

New York does not allow private citizens to keep a cougar (Puma concolor) as a pet under any circumstances. New York’s Environmental Conservation law section 11-0512 prohibits the possession, sale, barter, transfer, exchange and import of wild animals as pets, and cougars fall squarely within that category alongside other wild cats. The only people who can legally hold a cougar in the state are licensed zoos, accredited sanctuaries, and research or educational institutions operating under a specific state permit.

That distinction matters because it’s easy to assume a permit fee or a large enclosure is all it takes to legally own one. It isn’t. Even applicants who could meet housing and safety standards for a personal cougar are turned down, because New York’s licensing system is built around institutional use, not private ownership. If you’re drawn to a big cat’s independent personality but want something you can legally bring home, several popular cat breeds in New York offer a similarly bold temperament without the legal risk. Smaller exotic mammals occupy a different category too; New York permits certain species, like the hedgehog ownership laws in New York outline, under conditions that never apply to big cats.

Pro Tip: If you’re unsure whether a facility’s exhibition license extends to private handling, contact the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation directly before assuming any exception applies to you personally.

What Federal Law Says About Cougar Ownership

Federal law used to say almost nothing about keeping a cougar as a pet. Prior to the enactment of the BCPSA, the United States had no federal law regarding the possession or breeding of big cats, except where there is a violation of another federal law, such as take under the Endangered Species Act or international trade contrary to CITES. That changed with the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

The Big Cat Public Safety Act was signed into law on December 20, 2022, and amends the Captive Wildlife Safety Act to prohibit the private possession of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, or any hybrid of these species. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the law included a narrow grandfather clause: it set a one-time 180-day registration period from the date of passage, and anyone who did not register each big cat in their possession with the USFWS by 11:59 p.m. on June 18, 2023, is now in violation of the law, unless another exception applies. Even registered pre-Act owners can’t expand their collection, since the Act does not allow pre-Act owners to acquire additional big cats after December 20, 2022, and only registered pre-Act big cats may be allowed to stay privately owned. The exemptions that remain are built for institutions, not hobbyists. The act exempts entities or facilities exhibiting animals to the public if they hold a Class C license in good standing under the Animal Welfare Act, and do not allow individuals to come into direct physical contact with big cats. According to Congress.gov’s summary of H.R. 263, direct contact is only permitted for trained professionals, veterinarians, or people supporting non-commercial conservation programs.

New York’s Laws on Owning a Cougar

New York’s own statutes reinforce the federal ban rather than conflict with it. Under Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0536, no part of the skin or body, whether raw or manufactured, of certain wild animals, or the animal itself, may be sold or offered for sale within the state, and the list names Mountain Lion, sometimes called Cougar (Felis Concolar) specifically. The statute still uses an outdated scientific name from decades ago; taxonomists now classify the species as Puma concolor, but the legal effect is the same regardless of the label used in the code. Beyond the sale ban, cougars are considered an endangered species in New York and require an Endangered Species License to be possessed at all, putting them in the same regulatory tier as other protected wildlife the state monitors closely, including several species covered in this rundown of endangered animals in New York. New York expanded this framework significantly over the past decade. In 2012, New York passed legislation which required the department to create lists of prohibited non-native species, species that require a permit, and legal species, giving regulators a clearer tool for deciding which exotic animals could be held and by whom. That same reform also passed a ban on releasing exotic animals into the wild, closing off a loophole some owners had used when a cougar became too much to handle. New York tightened enforcement again in 2014. On August 11, 2014, a new law passed prohibiting dealers or exhibitors from allowing direct contact with big cats—lion, tiger, leopard except clouded leopard, jaguar, cougar, or a hybrid of such—without a permanent physical barrier. That rule predates the federal contact restrictions in the BCPSA by eight years, and it still applies to any licensed New York facility today. The state’s broader protections extend to other apex and migratory species as well, including the raptors profiled in this guide to types of eagles in New York, which face similar layered federal and state oversight.

Permits and Requirements for Cougar Ownership in New York

Because private ownership is off the table, the only functional “permit” path runs through institutional licensing. New York issues licenses to collect, possess, or sell wildlife for propagation, scientific, or exhibition purposes under ECL § 11-0515, and this is the mechanism zoos, sanctuaries, and universities use to legally hold a cougar. According to World Animal Foundation’s overview of legal exotic pets in New York, to own an exotic animal in New York at all, an applicant must register for a permit or license, and anyone found without one can receive a hefty fine with the animal seized. That baseline requirement applies before you even get to species-specific restrictions. The permit landscape for a cougar specifically looks different from a permit for, say, a hedgehog or a pet goat. Compare the general categories below:

Permit or License Type	Who Qualifies	What It Allows
ECL § 11-0515 Propagation/Exhibition License	Zoos, sanctuaries, educational institutions	Legal possession of a cougar for display, breeding, or research—not personal pet keeping
USDA Class C License (Animal Welfare Act)	Public exhibitors of any big cat species	Exhibition to the public, provided there’s no direct physical contact
DEC Endangered Species License	Licensed facilities only	Possession of a state-protected species like the cougar
Private Pet Permit	No one	Not available for cougars in New York under current law

For comparison, other regulated animals in New York follow a permit structure that at least leaves room for private ownership. The goat ownership laws in New York require zoning compliance and local registration but don’t shut out individual owners the way cougar law does. Domestic pets face an entirely different compliance layer, too—one built around public health rather than wildlife licensing, as explained in this breakdown of rabies vaccine requirements in New York. Cougars fall outside that framework entirely, since they can’t be legally kept as household pets to begin with.

Common Mistake: Assuming an exhibition or research license held by a facility transfers to an individual employee, volunteer, or previous owner. It does not; the license is tied to the institution and its named permit holder.

Local Laws That May Apply in New York

State law sets the floor, and local governments in New York frequently build on top of it. New York City goes the furthest of any jurisdiction in the state. Under the city’s Health Code, all cats other than domesticated cats are prohibited, including but not limited to lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, puma, panther, mountain lion, cheetah, wild cat, cougar, bobcat, lynx, serval, caracal, jaguarundi, and margay, along with any hybrid offspring of a wild and domestic cat. That means even a hypothetical state exhibition permit wouldn’t authorize keeping a cougar inside city limits, since the local code closes that door independently. Outside the five boroughs, local restrictions vary but often follow similar logic. Common local-level rules that can affect a would-be cougar owner include:

• Dangerous or exotic animal ordinances at the county or town level that mirror or exceed state licensing standards
• Zoning codes that restrict where a licensed exhibitor facility can operate relative to residential areas
• Nuisance and public safety statutes that local animal control officers can enforce independent of DEC action
• Homeowners’ association rules that prohibit any wild or exotic animal regardless of state permit status

This layered approach isn’t unique to cougars. New York regulates a range of other animals capable of causing harm at both the state and municipal level, including many of the creatures covered in this guide to venomous animals in New York. Anyone considering a licensed exhibition facility should check municipal code in addition to state DEC requirements, since a permit valid under state law can still be blocked by a local ordinance.

Penalties for Illegally Owning a Cougar in New York

New York treats unauthorized possession of a dangerous wild animal as a criminal matter, not just a licensing technicality. Under state law, any person who owns or possesses a wild animal capable of inflicting bodily harm on a human being, and who fails to exercise due care in safeguarding the public from attack, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, or both. The statute doesn’t stop at criminal exposure, either. A second part of the law imposes strict liability on owners of dangerous wild animals, meaning a victim generally doesn’t need to prove negligence beyond the fact of ownership to pursue a civil claim. Beyond the fine itself, enforcement typically ends the same way it did for Sasha in the Bronx: anyone found to own an exotic pet without a license or permit can face a hefty fine while the animal is seized from their possession. Federal penalties stack on top of whatever the state pursues. A person who knowingly violates the Big Cat Public Safety Act must be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for no more than five years, or both, with each violation treated as a separate offense. For trafficking-related conduct, exposure can climb even higher; according to a summary of federal wildlife enforcement, the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act carry criminal penalties reaching five years in prison and fines up to $250,000 for trafficking offenses.

Violation Level	Maximum Fine	Maximum Imprisonment
New York State (dangerous wild animal misdemeanor)	$500	1 year
Federal (Big Cat Public Safety Act, per violation)	$20,000	5 years
Federal (Lacey Act trafficking offenses)	$250,000	5 years

Important Note: This article summarizes publicly available statutes and federal guidance for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Anyone facing a specific ownership, licensing, or enforcement question should consult a licensed attorney or contact the New York DEC directly.

Given the overlap between state misdemeanor exposure, strict civil liability, and federal fines that apply per animal, keeping a cougar without every required license carries far more risk than most people realize going in. If your interest in a cougar comes down to wanting a large, loyal companion animal, a dog bred for personality and trainability is the legal alternative most New Yorkers land on instead. Breeds like the Yorkshire terrier remain popular for exactly that reason, and resources like this breakdown of the pros and cons of Yorkies or this guide on how to take care of a Yorkie cover what ownership actually looks like day to day—without the federal registration deadlines, state licensing hurdles, or five-figure fines that come with a cougar.