NEW JERSEY – Legislation sponsored by Senator Jon Bramnick that would establish penalties and liability for causing harm to wild animals was approved today by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“How many times have we heard about a person jumping a barrier at a zoo to get closer to a wild animal, particularly a tiger or a bear? This type of behavior often results in the person being killed or injured by the animal or law enforcement having to kill the animal,” said Bramnick (R-21). “These people are trespassers, they have no right whatsoever to be in a restricted area with these wild animals, and should face legal and financial consequences for their reckless actions.”
Bramnick’s bill was inspired by an incident at a Florida zoo in 2021, in which a member of the zoo’s cleaning crew jumped a barrier and put his hand through fencing surrounding a tiger’s enclosure. The tiger latched onto the man’s arm and would not let go, which caused the animal to be shot by law enforcement. The tiger died shortly after the incident.
Unfortunately, even though the individual’s unauthorized actions caused the unnecessary death of the tiger, he did not face any criminal charges because there were no applicable laws on the books to address the specific circumstance, Bramnick said.
Bramnick’s legislation, S-2922, establishes a new criminal offense: reckless trespass involving a wild animal. It also establishes financial liability for certain damages incurred during the commission of the offense, including harm to the animal or other property.
