HARRISBURG – Chester County Rep. Melissa Shusterman plans to introduce legislation creating the offense of unlawfully entering a zoo animal enclosure. PA’s criminal trespass law prohibits individuals from unlawfully entering buildings and other occupied structures, but does not specifically address unauthorized entry into zoo animal enclosures. Her proposal would also require courts to order restitution for costs incurred by the facility, including animal recovery, veterinary care, emergency response, enclosure repairs, and operational disruptions. Last year, a social media influencer entered an elephant enclosure at the Pittsburgh zoo. She says in recent years, several states have introduced legislation to explicitly prohibit zoo trespassing in response to a rise in incidents, fueled by social media, that have endangered both animals and the public.
REP. MELISSA SHUSTERMAN