§ 39-14-205 — Knowing killing of animal

(a) (1) It is an offense to knowingly and unlawfully kill the animal of another without the owner's effective consent. (2) A violation of subdivision (a)(1) is theft of property, graded according to the value of the animal, and punished in accordance with § 39-14-105 . (b) A person is justified in killing the animal of another if the person acted under a reasonable belief that the animal was creating an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury to that person or another or an imminent danger of death to an animal owned by or in the control of that person. A person is not justified in killing the animal of another if, at the time of the killing, the person is trespassing upon the property of the owner of the animal.

Legislative History

Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 1106, s 3, eff. 7/1/2022. Amended by 2015 Tenn. Acts, ch. 409, s 1, eff. 5/8/2015. Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1; 1996, ch. 927, §§ 1, 2; 2004, ch. 957, § 1; 2007 , ch. 466, § 1; 2008 , ch. 1172, § 1.