Hammond, IN Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

" The same subsection also criminalizes buying, receiving, possessing, selling or giving away any bird or egg taken in violation of the rule, closing off a resale loophole for anyone who acquires an unlawfully taken bird or egg from someone else. The provision applies citywide to every park and park street under the jurisdiction of the Board of Park Commissioners, including Wolf Lake, George Lake and Forsyth Park, all popular waterfowl and shoreline bird habitats in Hammond. Because the rule sits in the general Parks chapter rather than the Animal Control chapter, it is enforced by park staff and police working with the Board of Park Commissioners rather than by Hammond Animal Control.

The section does not carve out an exception for photography, nuisance wildlife, or accidental disturbance; the prohibition on possession applies even if the bird or nest was found already dead. 024's separate ban on feeding waterfowl in the same parks, the Parks chapter treats Hammond's park birds as protected from both direct harm and human feeding, reflecting the city's interest in keeping Wolf Lake and George Lake's bird populations wild and undisturbed.