Law No. 23 of 2026 regulating the possession and circulation of dangerous animals.

This Law, comprising 16 articles, aims at (i) enhancing public safety and security from the dangers posed by hazardous animals; (ii) protecting humans and other animals from harm caused by hazardous animals; (iii) regulating the possession, trade, and breeding of hazardous animals; (iv) ensuring that hazardous animals have access to necessary food, shelter, and veterinary care; (v) regulating statistics related to hazardous animals by establishing a register of facilities and a register of hazardous animals. The Law does not apply to (i) national security and military agencies; (ii) government agencies, provided that they register any dangerous animals in their possession in a designated register. Article 4 prohibits possessing, trading, or breeding any dangerous animals.
The main provisions of the Law establish that (i) zoos, animal parks, circuses, research institutions, and other entities designated by the Minister may possess, trade, or breed dangerous animals only after obtaining a Ministry license, subject to licensing conditions, renewal, withdrawal, cancellation procedures, and official registration; (ii) licensed establishments must register dangerous animals with the competent authority, provide proper care (including veterinary care and vaccinations), maintain secure and suitable housing, prevent escape or loss, provide appropriate food, obtain prior approval before transferring ownership, organizing exhibitions, competitions or shows, or transporting dangerous animals, and ensure all transport is conducted safely and in compliance with applicable laws and technical requirements; (iii) who finds a stray, abandoned, or unlicensed dangerous animal must report it to the Ministry, which is responsible for its seizure, shelter, and care in coordination with relevant authorities; (iv) licensed establishments must promptly notify the competent authority of any contagious disease (or suspected disease), birth, death, escape or loss of a dangerous animal, any injury or death caused by a dangerous animal, or their intention or inability to keep the animal, and must record births, deaths, and escapes or losses in the official dangerous animals register. Part III of the Law establishes penalties for misuse of dangerous animals, including imprisonment, fines, animal seizure, and possible confiscation. It also penalizes violations of licensing and safety requirements, holds legal entities accountable for offenses, grants inspection powers to authorized officers, sets licensing fees, and requires compliance within six months.