Mississippi

Want a hippopotamus for Christmas? What MS law says about wild, exotic pets

Published

3 weeks ago

December 15, 2025

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Want a hippopotamus for Christmas? What MS law says about wild, exotic pets

Mississippi requires a permit to own certain exotic animals considered “inherently dangerous,” such as hippos, big cats and bears.
Permit applicants must be at least 21, have experience with the species and carry liability insurance of at least $100,000 per animal.
Annual permit costs vary by species, ranging from $75 for canids to $300 for animals like elephants and tigers.
It is illegal in Mississippi to keep wild native species, such as deer or raccoons, as pets.

If you want a hippopotamus for Christmas, there are some hurdles to legal and responsible pet ownership in Mississippi.

There are plenty of exotic species, like birds, reptiles and rodents that are considered safe pets. They can be bought next to cat and dog supplies at pet stores and exotic animal shows.

But some people, only a hippopotamus will do. Baby hippos, like Fiona and Moo Deng, can make the species look cute and, well, manageable. (The same can be said of many species that can grow up to be a menace, like baby big cats.) And as much as the song pleads, a garage isn’t the best home for a hippo hero.

Mississippi has laws about owning pets that are considered inherently dangerous, like monkeys or wild dog species. If you’re planning to get an exotic animal as a pet, it helps to know which animals are on the list. If you want to give an unusual species as a Christmas gift, be sure the new owner can meet the criteria so they won’t end up in a tricky legal situation.

Colt Mooney, Exotic Species Program leader of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks said animals on the list aren’t totally banned in a previous interview with the Clarion Ledger. But owners have to apply for a permit and meet several requirements.

And permitting isn’t a one-and-done process. There will be an annual follow up, and it could get expensive over the lifetime of the animal. That’s not even accounting for the costs of specialty veterinary care.

Here’s what to know about which dangerous animals you need a permit for in Mississippi, whether you can own a wild animal native to the Magnolia State and what the permitting process requires and costs.

Can I own an exotic pet in Mississippi?

Yes, but you have to have a permit for certain species, like big cats, bears and primates.

It’s illegal to sell, give, deliver, or transfer an animal on the state’s list of dangerous animals unless the recipient has a permit or is an exempt organization.

“It’s mostly due to their ability to inflict damage if something goes wrong,” Mooney said. “The potential is always there.

“They’re not pets. All it takes is one slip-up, one moment, to cause a life-threatening incident.”

What exotic animals do I need a permit for in Mississippi?

The state defines several animals as “inherently dangerous,” including elephants, rhinoceroses, African buffaloes and, yes, hippopotamuses.

If those sound like large pets, there are plenty of small primates and carnivores on the list too. (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!)

Carnivoras:

Wolves, including crosses between wolves and domestic animals
Jackals
Dingos
Red dogs
African hunting dogs
Bears (all species)
Wolverines
Hyenas (all species)
Lions
Tigers
Jaguars
Leopards
Cheetahs
Cougars (all sub-species)

Primates:

Gibbons
Orangutans
Chimpanzees
Siamangs
Gorillas
Macaques
Mandrils
Baboons

What do Mississippi exotic animal permits cover?

Each permit is good for one year, according to information from the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It’s only for the species specified, and a permit is needed for each animal.

At base level, applicants must:

Be at least 21 years old with no convictions involving wildlife offenses or cruelty to animals within the past 3 years
Have 2 years of experience with care and handling of the species or be able to pass a DWFP test on biology, diet, health care and habit needs
Have a plan to quickly and safely capture the animal if it escapes, including how to put it down or kill it if it can’t be caught

Personal permits don’t cover exhibiting the animal, like making money by showing it at a fair or appearing at parties. They must have a full-time caretaker on the grounds where the animal will be kept. Applicants must have a letter from a vet stating that all the owner’s pets are vaccinated and receive yearly care. Proof of liability insurance of $100,000 per animal and up to $1 million is also required.

If your own version of Cousin Eddie wants to start a petting zoo, don’t buy him animals. At least not until he has the permits.

Public zoos have multiple criteria to meet, including being the designated zoo of a town or city and being accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Zoos and exhibitors must hold a USDA Class “C” Exhibitor’s License. Exhibitors also have other extensive requirements.

Rehabbers and sanctuaries also have conditions. Like they can’t make a profit from exhibiting, breeding or selling the animals. They also must have 501(c)(3) Federal tax-exempt status and meet state and federal permitting requirements.

How much do dangerous animal permits cost in Mississippi?

According to MDWFP, the personal permit cost depends on the type of animal:

Canids (wolves, jackals, etc.): $75
Primates (gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, etc.): $150
All species of bears: $200
Big cats (lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, etc.): $300
Wolverines: $300
Hyenas: $300
Elephants: $300
Rhinoceroses: $300
Hippopotamuses: $300
African buffalo: $300

Exhibitor fees range from $100 for up to 30 days or $300 for up to a year.

How do I apply to get a permit?

Email Colt.Mooney@wfp.ms.gov or call MDWFP at 601-432-2199.

Some organizations, like “public zoos, university research facilities, governmental agencies, exhibitors, and rehabilitation/sanctuary facilities may be exempted from having a permit,” according to the commission. MDWFP or the commission would have to approve the exemption.

Can I keep a wild animal as a pet in Missississippi?

There are several wild animals native to Mississippi, like deer, raccoons and opossums. The state does not allow people to keep wild native species as pets.

“They’re a public resource that’s held in trust by the state, or public, to enjoy,” Mooney said. “It’s the people of Mississippi’s animals.”

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Jackson City Council presses Judge Wingate on JXN Water ahead of rate ruling

Published

5 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Jackson City Council presses Judge Wingate on JXN Water ahead of rate ruling

The Jackson City Council approved a resolution Tuesday morning urging U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate to “consider” taking a series of actions related to JXN Water operations, billing practices and financial oversight.

The vote occurred one day before Wingate is set to rule on whether Jackson residents will receive a second water rate increase, something that Interim Third Party Water Manager and leader of JXN Water Ted Henifin has been pushing for nearly a year now.

While the vote carries no legal force — only Wingate can issue binding orders governing JXN Water — it formally lays out the council’s priorities and frustrations as the seemingly never-ending dispute between the city and JXN Water intensifies.

The council voted 4–1 to approve the resolution. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote voted against it, while Ward 2 Councilwoman Tina Clay and Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes were not in attendance.

The resolution urges Wingate to:

Extend the court’s billing amnesty order through April 30, 2026.
Require walk-in, in-person customer service without appointments, Monday through Saturday.
- JXN Water currently handles most customer service issues through its call center.
Direct JXN Water and the city to assign staff to address billing system problems.
Order an affordability study, rather than a rate study, to guide future decisions.
Compel JXN Water to immediately remit sanitation fees owed to the city and to do so on a quarterly basis going forward.
- City officials say JXN Water is withholding roughly $14 million in sanitation fees that are typically transferred monthly to help pay the city’s long-term residential garbage collection contract with Richard’s Disposal Inc. The utility has held the funds since spring 2025.
Credit the city for bond debt and water loss charges the council says should be the responsibility of JXN Water.
Prohibit the court-appointed monitor from publicly commenting on the city’s efforts to secure alternative funding sources.
Ensure equitable billing for Byram and other non-Jackson users.
- Those areas receive water from Jackson, but any rate increase would require approval from the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which has not occurred.
Remove JXN Water employees from the city payroll.
Align JXN Water’s fiscal year with the city’s Oct. 1–Sept. 30 budget cycle.

One amendment was made to the resolution to soften its language. According to Ward 7 Councilman Kevin Parkinson, the title was changed from urging Wingate “to take certain actions” related to JXN Water instead to urging him “to consider” those actions.

Parkinson said the council made the change “out of deference to the judge.”

“We believe in the substance of the issue, but we don’t think it’s our place to tell a federal judge anything,” Parkinson said. “We ask the judge to please consider the items.”

JXN Water’s response

In a Tuesday afternoon statement to the Clarion Ledger, JXN Water Spokesperson Aisha Carson said the utility “is aware of the resolution introduced by the City of Jackson and believes it is important to provide context as the matter proceeds in court.”

“For years, the City of Jackson and members of the City Council had the opportunity to responsibly manage and invest in the water system and failed to do so. JXN Water exists because of that failure,” the statement reads. “Now, after the system is working well — delivering water and keeping raw sewage off the streets — and after the system was removed from the City’s control by the federal courts, the Council is attempting to direct the very entity tasked with fixing what they did not.

“In addition, the unfounded and erroneous claims made about JXN Water’s billing system undermine public trust and weaken collection efforts without acknowledging the conditions we inherited or the progress already made. While Council members continue to advocate on behalf of their constituents, JXN Water must apply its policies consistently to sustain the system for all customers. The full record and legal arguments will be addressed in court.”

The looming decision on water rates

It’s unclear whether Wingate will take up any of the council’s requests or keep the hearing focused on the proposed water rate increase. But anyone who has spent time in Wingate’s courtroom knows the discussion can veer wherever the judge sees fit. As Henifin put it last week, “there is no predicting what will come up during the hearing.”

The proposed water rate increase would raise the average residential water bill from about $76 to $85 per month — roughly a 12% increase — to help cover operating costs and debt service. Henifin has argued the increase is necessary to stabilize the system financially.

Henifin wanted the increase rate to take affect in Dec. 15, 2025, but Wingate temporarily blocked the rate increase in November.

In a Dec. 22 filing, City Attorney Drew Martin argued that a second increase would unfairly burden paying customers, noting that tens of millions of dollars remain uncollected each year.

“The City simply asks that the Court order JXN Water to do what the City must do and what every citizen and ratepayer must do: live within its means,” Martin wrote.

Along with the council, Jackson Mayor John Horhn is opposed to the rate hike. He previously told the Clarion Ledger that JXN Water should first improve collections and cut costs. Roughly 20-30% of customers remain delinquent, according to city estimates.

Horhn could not be reached for further comment regarding the council’s resolution. Jackson spokesperson Nic Lott did not respond to a request for comment.

The council’s action also follows last week’s vote to temporarily cover more than $2 million in trash-collection bills from the city’s general fund after JXN Water withheld sanitation fees residents already paid on their water bills. Henifin has said the utility is withholding the money because the city owes millions in unpaid water bills, largely tied to leaks at the Jackson Zoo.

Wingate previously pressed Henifin on his legal authority to withhold those funds. Henifin acknowledged he had none but said the money would be released once the city settles its debt.

Why Foote voted no

Foote was the lone vote against the resolution. While he has voiced some criticism of JXN Water in the past, Foote has generally declined to support council resolutions aimed at the federally managed utility.

In October, when the council approved another resolution stating that Jackson’s water and sewer systems should be returned to the city and out of JXN Water’s hands, Foote was also the lone vote against.

He explained his reasoning after the meeting.

“I thought the City was better off not making a big news headline with a Resolution confronting a Federal Judge about the operations of JXN Water during the opening week of the Legislative Session, when our focus needs to be the many issues the City has with things we control such as crime, blight, squatters and the ongoing exodus of citizens out of Jackson,” Foote said.

He used one of his familiar lines that “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

“Squabbling publicly with JXN Water distracts from the Mayor’s narrative of Jackson Rising,” Foote said.

Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. Contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

These restaurants, schools, in, near, Jackson fail December health inspections

Published

17 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

These restaurants, schools, in, near, Jackson fail December health inspections

Four food service facilities in the Jackson area received failing health inspection grades in December 2025.
Common violations cited were inadequate hand-washing facilities and unclean food-contact surfaces.
As of early January, three of the four locations had corrected their violations and passed follow-up inspections.

In the Jackson area, four restaurants and food service facilities received failing health inspection grades in December 2025, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

As of Jan. 5, three of the four facilities have conducted follow-up inspections and rectified the failing grade.

Below are the restaurants and food-service facilities in District V, which includes Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, that received a failing grade of “C.”

Hinds County

Powell Middle School, temporarily housed in the former Brinkley Middle School located at 3535 Albemarle Road in Jackson, received a failing grade during a scheduled inspection on Dec. 10. In 2023, Brinkley Middle School was consolidated into Lanier High School. Powell Middle School then moved into the former Brinkley building while the school is being renovated. The inspection notes a lack of a certified manager and inadequate hand-washing facilities. The grade was rectified in a follow-up inspection on Dec. 17. Brinkley Middle School previously received one other failing grade in 2021, which was rectified in a follow-up inspection.
Oak Forest Elementary School, located at 1831 Smallwood St. in Jackson, received a failing grade during a scheduled inspection on Dec. 8. The inspection notes inadequate hand-washing facilities and improperly washed hands. As of Jan. 5, Oak Forest Elementary has not conducted a follow-up inspection. The school previously received one other failing grade in 2024, which was rectified during a follow-up inspection.

Madison County

Penn’s Fish House, located at 1859 Main St. in Madison, received a failing grade during an inspection following a complaint on Nov. 18. The restaurant then failed the corrective follow-up on Dec. 1. Penn’s rectified the grade during a second follow-up inspection on Dec. 15. The Nov. 18 inspection notes several violations, including a lack of a certified manager and inadequate hand-washing facilities. The notes also cite violations in food storage and preparation, including unclean food-contact surfaces and improper holding temperatures. By Dec. 1, the restaurant had corrected most of the violations, but still had unclean food contact surfaces, according to the inspection notes. This Penn’s location previously received two failing grades in 2013 and 2021, both of which were rectified during follow-up inspections.

Rankin County

Golden Corral, located at 988 Top St. in Flowood, received a failing grade during an inspection following a complaint on Dec. 12. The inspection notes several violations, including inadequate hand-washing facilities, unclean food contact surfaces and improper food-holding temperatures, date marking and disposition. The restaurant rectified the grade during a follow-up inspection on Dec. 17. In November 2025, this Golden Corral location received a failing grade for several of the same violations listed in the Dec. 12 inspection. The restaurant rectified the November failing grade during a follow-up inspection on Nov. 14. This Golden Corral location previously received a failing grade in 2023, which was then corrected in a follow-up inspection.

Health inspection grading system

The MSDH grades health inspections on an A, B and C scale, with C considered a failing grade.

The MSDH website states the following regarding the grading scale:

A rating: “The facility inspection found no critical violations. Critical violations of the state Food Code are those more likely to lead to food contamination, illness, or other health risk.”
B rating: “Critical violations were found, but corrected under the supervision of the inspecting environmentalist. No further corrective actions are required.”
C rating: “Critical violations were found, but some or all were not corrected during the inspection. The facility will be re-inspected, and all violations must be corrected in a time period not to exceed 10 days. The re-inspection date is posted on the graded report. If violations are not corrected in the specified time, steps are taken to suspend the facility’s permit to operate. A grade of C is also given if critical violations are repeated from the last inspection, even if they were corrected at that time.”

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

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Mississippi

Mississippi lawmakers to tackle school choice, PERS reform as session begins

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – Mississippi lawmakers will address school choice legislation, PERS reform, and Gulf Coast Restoration Fund distribution when the legislative session begins Tuesday, according to political analyst Frank Corder with the Magnolia Tribune.

School choice

Corder said school choice will likely be the first major issue addressed, with House Speaker Jason White making it one of his main agenda items this session.

School choice policies would let families use public funds to enroll their children in schools outside their assigned local option, including private schools.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if the first week or two, we don’t see a bill dropped and by the end of January, there’s some kind of action on that bill,” said Corder.

The Senate will likely take a more measured approach to school choice legislation, Corder said. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has said he supports opening up public-to-public transfers but not necessarily allowing money to follow students from public to private schools.

ALSO READ: Lt. Gov. targets chronic absenteeism, supports limited school choice options

Corder expects Mississippi will pass some form of public-to-public transfer system that allows parents to choose schools outside their assigned district, though he is uncertain whether universal school choice will advance this session.

Gulf Coast Restoration Fund

This session, lawmakers will look at how Gulf Coast Restoration Funds are distributed, Corder said. The fund operates as an advisory body that makes recommendations to the Mississippi Development Authority, which then sends proposals to lawmakers for funding decisions.

Corder said Coast lawmakers have typically been unified in their requests, but when they are not, funding has lagged.

“I do expect them to maybe revamp how things are done this time. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be surprised,” he said.

ALSO READ: 16 projects recommended for Gulf Coast Restoration Funds

Corder believes focus will shift toward larger, coastwide projects spanning from Jackson County to Hancock County, including infrastructure improvements and coastal restoration projects.

PERS reform

The Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) will also likely receive attention this session.

Corder said lawmakers could consider changes to Tier 5 that would reduce the 35-year work requirement for law enforcement officers and firefighters before retirement.

In March 2025, the state legislature passed House Bill 1, which changed PERS to require 35 years of service for full retirement benefits, regardless of age, starting March 1, 2026.

ALSO READ: Mississippi first responders unite to propose separate state retirement tier

Corder believes lawmakers will also consider injecting resources into PERS to improve its financial stability.

Vote 2026

Corder also weighed in on the midterm elections happening this year. Last week, candidates filed paperwork to qualify.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will face a Republican primary challenge from Sarah Adlakha of the Gulf Coast. Corder said Hyde-Smith has advantages as the incumbent with an established “campaign war chest,” while Adlakha appears to be self-financing her campaign.

ALSO READ: MS candidates file for federal election qualification

In the 4th Congressional District, Rep. Mike Ezell faces challenges from Republican Sawyer Walters. On the Democratic side, State Rep. Jeffery Hulum and two others are running along with one Independent.

“That could be an interesting race to watch,” said Corder.

Rep. Bennie Thompson also has a Democratic challenger, Evan Turnage, who previously served as chief counsel for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Congressional primaries are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10.

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