Animals: the rules for travellers in 148 countries (2026 list)

🚫 What gets travellers fined

• Feeding wildlife — pigeons, monkeys, deer, dingoes — is an offence in a growing number of places, sometimes with four-figure fines.
• Getting close for a photo: national parks set legal minimum distances, and rangers enforce them.
• Buying souvenirs made from ivory, coral, turtle shell, reptile skin or shark: seized at customs, and prosecuted under CITES.
• Undeclared food or animal products at the border — Australia and New Zealand fine on the spot, no warning.

⚖️ Cruelty and how it is punished

• In most of Europe, cruelty is a criminal offence carrying prison, not a fine — including for a tourist.
• Filming or encouraging abuse counts too: paying for a show is participating in it.
• Some countries protect specific animals for religious or national reasons — harming a cow in India or a deer in Nara is not a small matter.
• Abandoning an animal abroad, including a "rescued" stray, is an offence in many countries.

🧳 Travelling with your own animal

• Microchip, valid rabies vaccination and a health certificate are the universal baseline — start 3 weeks ahead minimum.
• Rabies-free destinations (UK, Ireland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan) require months of preparation and sometimes quarantine.
• Airlines cap the number of animals per flight and ban several breeds, especially flat-faced ones.
• Check breed bans at your destination before booking: some breeds are refused entry outright.

🩹 Bites, scratches and rabies

• Wash the wound with soap under running water for 15 full minutes. This alone removes much of the virus.
• See a doctor the same day. Post-exposure treatment works, but only before symptoms appear.
• Monkeys, bats and stray dogs are the main carriers. A scratch counts.
• A pre-exposure vaccination before the trip does not remove the need for treatment, but it buys you time.

Which countries are strict on animals?

4 countries rate animals as banned or a serious risk for travellers: Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Thailand.

Which countries set limits on animals?

53 countries allow it under conditions (age, place, quantity, permit): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, India, Indonesia (Bali), Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali….

How do I check the rules for my destination before I fly?

Open LawsTravels: pick your destination, the topic “Animals” shows the level, the thresholds and the penalties, offline. 3 topics are free on every country.