No, bear wrestling is not specifically illegal in Rhode Island as a standalone prohibited activity. This notion circulates in “weird laws” lists as a myth, often without citing actual statutes, and Rhode Island’s codes focus on general animal cruelty and licensed combat sports rather than banning bear wrestling explicitly.​
Rhode Island Regulations
Rhode Island requires licenses for boxing and wrestling exhibitions under Title 41, Chapter 41-5, but this applies to human participants with safety rules like medical exams and insurance—no provisions target animals or bears. Animal fighting, including any exploitative bear events, falls under general cruelty statutes (R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-1-5), prohibiting mistreatment with misdemeanor or felony penalties, but private or unlicensed “wrestling” isn’t uniquely called out.​
Myth Context
Bear wrestling was historically tied to traveling shows in states like Oklahoma (banned since 1981), but nationwide USDA regulations and animal welfare laws effectively prohibit it everywhere today. Rhode Island protects black bears via hunting restrictions requiring DEM permits, not wrestling bans. Other “prohibited activities” in viral lists for RI, like snail racing limits, remain unverified folklore.​
SOURCES
[1](https://law.justia.com/codes/rhode-island/title-41/chapter-41-5/)
[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladviceofftopic/comments/u7q7v4/in_what_states_can_i_still_wrestle_a_bear/)
[3](https://wildlifehelp.org/state-specific-solution-rhode-island-it-legal-or-advisable-euthanize-problem-bear)
[4](https://forestgrove.pgusd.org/documents/Computer-Lab/Strange-State-Laws.pdf)
[5](https://www.pintas.com/blog/americas-most-ridiculous-laws/)
