Bear wrestling is illegal in Missouri. This covers everything related to it — actually wrestling a bear, letting it happen on their property, organizing or advertising it, charging people to watch, buying or selling a bear for this purpose, training a bear for it, or doing surgery on a bear to prepare it for wrestling. Breaking this law is a class A misdemeanor.
Classifications stated in the statute. Actual outcomes vary.
578.176. Bear wrestling — . — 1. A person commits the of bear wrestling if he or she:
(1) Wrestles a bear;
(2) Permits bear wrestling to be done on any under his or her charge or control;
(3) Promotes, conducts, or stages bear wrestling;
(4) Advertises bear wrestling;
(5) Collects any admission fee for bear wrestling;
(6) Purchases, sells, or possesses a bear which he or she knows be used for bear wrestling;
(7) Trains a bear for bear wrestling;
(8) Subjects a bear to for bear wrestling.
2. The offense of bear wrestling is a .
(Adopted by Initiative, A, § C, November 3, 1998, A.L. 2014 S.B. 491)
Effective 1-01-17
(2000) Proposition A did not violate constitutional requirements of single subject and clear . United Gamefowl Breeders Ass'n. of Missouri v. Nixon, 19 S.W.3d 137 (Mo.banc).
Tap any gold-underlined word to see what it means.
Related Missouri laws
Seizure and disposition of animals
RSMo 578.179
Baiting or fighting animals
RSMo 578.173
Exemptions
RSMo 578.182
Definitions
RSMo 578.170
Injunction
RSMo 578.185
Severability
RSMo 578.188
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.