10 Celebs Who Own Completely Unexpected Pets

“Once people see the shark tank, everybody seems to make better music.”

When it comes to household pets, most families own a cat or dog -- or maybe even a hamster. But for celebrities, their definition of family pet is a little different. A handful of stars actually own some unique and unusual animals, from lemurs to wallaroos. Although their ownership of wild animals may be a little controversial, most of these celebrities took great care of their creature companions and had them for many years.

Find out what kind of animals these stars own…

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart grew up raising wolf-hybrids, a passion that first began with her mom. The family owned several of the animals without any issues until 2013 when one of Kristen’s neighbors began harassing her for “harboring wolves.” Kristen ended up having to file a lawsuit to get a restraining order against the man. She explained that the pets are not “100 percent wolves locked up somewhere they shouldn’t be” and are licensed and legal.

“I’m a very private person and try to remain that way, but, when someone threatens me, or my animals, on my own property -- I will retaliate, which is what I did by obtaining a restraining order from the superior court,” she told Us Weekly.

She continued, “The honest truth about the animals is, years ago I rescued a few wolf-hybrids, and they live on a large open piece of property filled with trees. These animals are perfectly legal in the state of California…They’re not pets, they’re more like companions. They're loyal, they’re big, they're completely socialized, they’re licensed, they’re legal for me to have them, and I love them!”

Kirstie Alley

Before Kirstie Alley’s passing she owned 14 lemurs, an animal she fell in love with while working on conservation efforts in their native Madagascar. While she said the animals were “zen,” she noted that they were a “huge responsibility” because they can live up to 30 years and require “meticulous” care. Kristie even had a full-time caretaker for the animals.

“I started out [having] lemurs because they are a great animal, and I was very interested in conservation in Madagascar and saving rainforests and forests,” she told People. “It’s actually really easy in Los Angeles, because the climate is almost identical. And then I just fell in love with them…They literally sit around, and they look like they’re sitting in the lotus position almost, and they’re chilled out.”

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek has been the proud parent to a pet owl for several years. Around 2019, she responded to an ad about rescue owls and then began researching how to care for them. When she heard back about the adoptable owls, she decided to take home Kering, a southern white-faced owl.

“I gave it to my husband as a Valentine’s present and named her Kering because that’s the name of his company and their symbol of the owl,” she told People. “And he was like, ‘Well, thank you, but I know this is your own present for yourself.’”

She continued, “When my husband is not in town, she sleeps in the room with me. We have certain routines before we go to sleep. I watch TV with my iPad, and she likes to stand on the iPad…[She’s often] on my head or my shoulder, my arms. Sometimes, when she is really close to me, I can feel her rubbing against me, which is really nice. And I feel so blessed.”

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton once owned a kinkajou, a type of small rainforest mammal. While having the animal as a pet was controversial, Paris went to great lengths to protect her. Although the state of California tried to stop her from owning the illegal pet, whom she named Baby Luv, Paris somehow managed to get a pass from the government.

Paris owned the rambunctious animal for quite some time -- and in 2006, she was forced to head to the hospital emergency room to receive a tetanus shot when Baby Luv accidentally bit her while they were playing. Despite the injury, Paris kept the animal, as well as another kinkajou she had gotten as a companion.

“I still have it. I have two of them at my ranch. It got a little crazy one night. Like ending up in the hospital crazy. It bit me! It bit my leg, and I thought it had rabies. So I said, ‘We have to figure out if it has rabies, how do we do that?’ And they said, ‘We have to cut its head open.’ I was like, ‘Well is it going to live?’ And they said, ‘No!’ So I was like, ‘Then we’re not doing that! I don't care if it has rabies or not!’” Paris recalled on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “It didn't have rabies, obviously, I’m here today.”

Leonardo DiCaprio

Back in 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio took home a new animal friend after attending the North American Reptile Breeders Conference and Trade Show -- a 10-year-old Sulcata tortoise. According to TMZ, the turtle can live to be 80 years old and can weigh up to 200 pounds. While Leo hasn’t spoken out about the animal, he most likely still owns it given they can live for so long!

Tyga

Rapper Tyga reportedly once had his own pet tiger but it ended up causing a lot of trouble. Back in 2014, Tyga was spotted posing with a cub at his Los Angeles home -- despite the fact that it’s illegal to own a tiger in California. Law enforcement were contacted and Tyga almost ended up facing misdemeanor charges of possession of a prohibited species. Before being charged, he gave the animal away to a private animal shelter, per TMZ, and authorities later took it to a state facility for safekeeping. The tiger now lives at the Lions, Tigers & Bears animal rescue.

Ice-T

Ice-T has had a long time obsession with aquariums and at one point, he actually owned sharks. In the early ’90s, the rapper and actor renovated his home recording studio to include an 8-foot-long and 3-foot-high baby-shark tank, according to the LA Times. He said he decided to buy a shark during a trip to a pet store where he was buying tropical fish and saw a shark that had been purchased by Nicolas Cage.

“Once people see the shark tank, everybody seems to make better music. You show the engineer that and say, ‘Let’s get this right this time,’” he joked during a 2001 appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

While Ice-T no longer has a shark tank, he does still have an aquarium for fish in his home.

Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan is the proud owner of a giant Pacific octopus named Bwyadette. While the sea creature was small when he took it home, she grew larger over time and he had to upgrade her tank. In 2013, he appeared on the Animal Planet show Tanked, where experts helped build a  2,700 gallon home for Bwyadette, which cost $400,000.

Nicolas Cage

Throughout his life, Nicolas Cage has owned numerous exotic animals including sharks, an octopus and a five-foot-long speckled Asian water monitor lizard. He even once had two highly venomous albino king cobras named Moby and Sheba. They were kept locked up behind bulletproof glass and he had to keep antivenom handy.

“If they bite me, I won’t get bit, I have 15 minutes to live so I have to get an antidote which is next to the cage and just plunge it in my knee and I’ll be alright. That’s not going to happen,” Nic said on the Late Show with David Letterman. “I like to get in there with a glass of wine in my red leather chair and watch them watch me.”

Vanilla Ice

Vanilla Ice once owned a wallaroo, a cross between a wallaby and a kangaroo. He owned the Australian animal, named Bucky Buckaroo, for many years until he got too big to keep on his property. He ended up relocating Bucky to a farm in Florida. At one point, Bucky and his BFF, a goat named Poncho, escaped the farm but after a week on the run, they safely were brought back home.