No Plan To Ban Tegus In Rhode Island: DEM

A national group of reptile enthusiasts issued a "Rhode Island tegu ban alert," but an official said there is no plan to ban the lizard.

By Joseph Hosey, Patch Staff

May 7, 2026 12:40 pm EDT

A Rhode Island official said there was no movement afoot to ban a species of huge exotic South American lizard. (Courtesy of the New England Wildlife Center)

A Rhode Island official said there was no movement afoot to ban a species of huge exotic South American lizard.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management merely intends to "permit the possession of tegus in Rhode Island, and not to ban or confiscate tegus," DEM Public Information Officer Evan LaCross said in an email.

"The proposed permit would provide DEM information on where tegus are located in the state and help ensure that owners responsibly own them," LaCross said.

While the state may not plan on banning the ownership of tegus, the United States Association of Reptile Keepers issued an "alert" regarding the "Rhode Island tegu ban."

"The proposal will ban two tegu genera," the association incorrectly claimed, as it urged reptile enthusiasts to send an email to David Kalb, the state's supervising wildlife biologist, with the subject line "No to tegu ban."

The state's proposal to require permits to own a tegu but not ban the lizard in Rhode Island may come as a disappointment to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, as the organization came out in support of such a measure.

Catie Cryar, PETA's senior manager of media relations, said in an email that "such a ban would protect these large lizards and Rhode Island’s native ecosystems," as the "cramped glass boxes where most captive reptiles live are nothing like the forests, jungles, and deserts they call home."

In its misguided effort to battle the nonexistent Tegu ban, the Association of Reptile Keepers pointed out that the rescue of a freezing lizard from a Providence driveway during the January blizzard may have prompted the proposal.

"The tegu ban likely stems from the discovery of a tegu in a driveway in January 2026," the association said in its alert. "While the tegu would have died had it not been rescued, escapes and releases easily trigger bans."