HB 284 Summary

• Repeals and rewrites sections of the Large Carnivore Act (578.600-578.624) to require permits for ownership, possession, breeding, and transport of large carnivores (tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs, and nonnative bears), with violations classified as Class A misdemeanors and intentional release as a Class D felony.

• Establishes permit requirements including permanent microchip identification, liability insurance of at least $250,000, veterinary care documentation, and emergency escape plans; denies permits to applicants under 21, with animal cruelty convictions, or without required federal licenses.

• Creates the new Nonhuman Primate Act (578.700-578.745) establishing similar permit requirements for possession of baboons and great apes (chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas), with violations as Class A misdemeanors and intentional release as Class D felony.

• Exempts certain entities from permitting requirements including animal shelters providing temporary care, law enforcement officers, veterinarians, circuses, universities, federally-licensed facilities, and persons temporarily transporting animals through the state with proper confinement.

• Grants the Missouri Department of Agriculture authority to promulgate rules, deny or revoke permits for noncompliance, and establishes an appeal process to the department director with judicial review available.