Unusual Laws in Alaska

Alaska is the home of grizzly bears and Mount McKinley, plus a few unusual laws.

There are approximately 732,000 residents living in Alaska, making it the fourth least-populated state in the United States.

With such a low population, it is no surprise that the most unusual Alaska laws deal more with crimes against animals than other people.

The wrong way to travel with your pet…

In most states, there are laws that protect our pets from cruel treatment.

Keeping your animal shut inside the car, for instance, especially on hot days is illegal.

It is also illegal to travel with your pet strapped on top of the vehicle.

Even if you are thoughtful enough to put them in a pet carrier with a windshield, this is seen as a big no-no.

Really. How many times have you seen luggage spilled onto the roadway that was once “securely” strapped to the car’s luggage rack? And yet, some people think that is an excellent spot for Fido to hunker down for the family road trip.

People like the Romneys, apparently.

During the presidential elections in 2008 and 2012, it was brought to media attention that Mitt Romney used to strap the family dog, Seamus, to the top of the car in a kennel for the 12-hour drive for the family vacation to Ontario.

So, a moose walks into a bar…

Public drunkenness is not cute. It’s even less so when the intoxicated individual is more than 6 feet tall and weighs about 1500 pounds.

For this reason, a mayor in Fairbanks passed a law prohibiting giving alcohol to a moose in 2006 (since repealed).

A bar owner in the city reportedly had a pet moose that he would allow into the bar.

Patrons enjoyed giving the large hairy barfly rounds of beer.

The mayor didn’t think that an intoxicated moose wandering the streets was a good idea and passed a law against it.

A flamingo walks into the barbershop…

There are many places you would not expect a flamingo to be hanging out.

Your local barbershop is one.

Alaska would be another.

In Alaska, like many other states, it is illegal to allow pets- other than service animals or those that remain in an aquarium- into most businesses.

That includes barbershops. And if you are lucky enough (or strange enough) to keep a flamingo as a pet in Alaska, then don’t take it with you for a haircut.

Photo ops that are not a good idea…

There are many laws out there that make you ask, “Does that really have to be a law? Who would even think to do that?”

Well, if there’s a law for it then that means that someone, somewhere, at some point, thought that it was a GREAT idea.

For instance, there is a law that prohibits waking a sleeping bear in order to take a photograph.

Sure, bears are beautiful and fascinating creatures. Most people go there whole lives not seeing a bear in the wild.

The urge to snap a few shots when you do see one is not unusual. Wanting to get some “action shots,” though, by waking up a sleeping bear is just plain crazy.

So, if you get the urge to take pictures of bears that are wide awake, wait for the springtime, when they will be up and about, fresh from their winter naps.