Sometimes you come across things that you just can't believe. Did you know there are some wild and exotic animals you can legally own if you live in Wisconsin?

Commonly owned animals in the Badger state are typically cats and dogs. According to Pawlicy, about 59% of homeowners in the state own a pet. If you look further into that data, it shows that about 33% of Wisconsinite's own dogs, and about 32% own cats. It did not break down the specifics of the other percentages, but typically it's horses, fish, birds, and reptiles.

Recently I found out that you can own a raccoon as a pet in Wisconsin, which I find absolutely wild. You do need to obtain a special licensing through the state to legally have one as a pet, but other states you can own a pet raccoon include:

Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Looking down at a young raccoon stuck in a garbage container
JillianCain
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Curiosity was getting the best of me, so I wanted to know what other wild animals or even exotic animals you could have as pets in the Dairy State. There are technically no laws regulating private ownership of exotic pets in the state, however, each city has its own ordinances.

For example, Janesville prohibits owning all types of wild, exotic or vicious animals, such as: which venomous snakes, lions, monkeys and alligators. Here is what I could find about exotic animals in Sauk County:

Wild Puma
JHaviv
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Big cats

Such as Cheetahs, Jaguars, Leopards, Lions, Lynxes, Pumas, Snow Leopards, and Tigers.

Feeding the Baboons
Babs_B
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Primates

Such as Apes, Baboons, Monkeys

Blue shark, Prionace glauca, near the surface, Southern California
tswinner
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Sharks

female rhino and her baby running on the African savannah a photographer, Kenya
robru
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Rhinos

Snake looking at you
Mattia D'Antonio
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Constrictor Snakes

Only ones that are less than 3 feet in length.

Goldream
Goldream
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Elephants

478993435
ewastudio
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Alligators & Crocodiles

Alfred Dunhill Championship - Previews
Getty Images
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Hippos

VladSokolovsky
VladSokolovsky
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Wolves

Brown hyena portrait
EcoPic
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Hyenas

Close up beautiful spider
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Poisonous Spiders

close up on piranha fish
irontrybex
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Piranha Fish

Only exceeding 6 inches in length.

Of course, animals of this nature and other exotic animals can be found throughout in Wisconsin in deer zoos, petting farms, deer parks, and wildlife parks are among those required to be registered or licensed.

Other exotics that can be owned in Wisconsin are:

Ring-tailed Lemurs Enjoy Pumpkins For Halloween In Qingdao
VCG via Getty Images
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Lemurs

Cute face of young brown-throated sloth, Central America
Damocean
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Sloths

Kangaroo posing very much like a human
Smileus
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Kangaroos

Taronga Zoo Unveils New Capybara Exhibit
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Capybaras

Red-neck Wallaby with joey in pouch looking at the camera.
Shmenny50
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Wallabies

Regional Visitors Return To Taronga Western Plains Zoo Following Easing Of NSW Travel Restrictions
Getty Images
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Zebras

According to the Wisconsin DNR, they offer several different licenses: a captive wild animal farm license, a nonprofit educational exhibit license, and the nonresident temporary exhibiting license.

Do note that according to Animal Legal and Historical Center,  the Wisconsin wildlife laws require a license to take a wild animal from the wild or to import one into the state. A license is also required to exhibit, breed, rehabilitate, hunt, and/or purchase wild animals. Violations can result in fines, forfeiture, and/or imprisonment.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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