70-4-208. Unlawful importation of skunks — Penalty. —A Class C misdemeanor in Tennessee is punishable by "not greater than 30 days in jail and a fine not to exceed $50".
(a) It is unlawful for any person to import, possess, or cause to be imported into this state any type of live skunk, or to sell, barter, exchange or otherwise transfer any live skunk, except that the prohibitions of this section shall not apply to bona fide zoological parks and research institutions.
(b) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
[Acts 1974, ch. 622, § 1; 1982, ch. 738, § 31; T.C.A., § 51-514; Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 113.]
HELP HELP, I'M BEING REPRESSED!!!!
Why in the world can't I import a skunk into the great state of Tennessee? What if I just lure a skunk into the state -- say with some peanut butter or something? I can see the headline now: "Local alderman jailed for transporting pole-cat across state lines"...
I thought this was hilarious when I found it the other day while searching for animal cruelty laws. "Seriously," I thought, "why would it matter?" Apparently, skunks are common carriers of rabies and our General Assembly in its wisdom decided to outlaw the importation of this dangerous feline. I hope they didn't spend long on this law.
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