Worldwide wildlife charity Born Free releases information revealing the true extent of harmful wild animal possession in Britain. The surprising analysis confirms the dimensions and seriousness of unique animals being stored as ‘pets’ and highlights the pressing want for higher regulation to guard the general public and these, typically threatened, wild creatures.
“It’s unbelievable that, at the moment, so many harmful animals, together with large cats, giant primates, crocodiles and venomous snakes, proceed to be legally stored in individuals’s properties.”
Dr Mark Jones, Born Free’s Head of Coverage
- Greater than 2,700 harmful wild animals licensed for personal possession.
- Ten instances extra lethal venomous snakes stored in British properties than in zoos.
- Born Free is looking for pressing motion to tighten laws to minimise danger to the general public and to safeguard the welfare of untamed animals.
On the twenty second Feb 2024: Worldwide wildlife charity Born Free launched new information exposing the variety of harmful wild animals being stored legally as ‘pets’ within the UK.
Analysis undertaken by Born Free discovered that in 2023 greater than 2,700 harmful wild animals had been being stored privately in Nice Britain below licences permitted by the Harmful Wild Animals Act 1976. This quantity consists of greater than 200 wild cats, 250 primates and 400 venomous snakes.
Among the many disturbing array of untamed animals stored legally in individuals’s properties are bush vipers in Bedfordshire, cheetahs in Cheshire, caiman in Kent and lynx in Lincolnshire. The complete regional information, collected from native authorities, is offered to view on Born Free’s ‘Harmful Wild Animals Map’ right here: https://www.bornfree.org.uk/dwamap/. Anybody can log-on and see if there’s a harmful wild animal, resembling a lion, alligator or venomous reptile, residing close to them.
The staggering indisputable fact that there are almost three thousand wild creatures labeled as harmful below UK regulation, being stored as ‘pets’ throughout Britain, is of nice concern to Born Free. The retaining of such animals threatens the protection of individuals and different animals, and leads to appreciable struggling. Not like domesticated animals, which have been bred over generations to stay alongside people, these wild animals have advanced bodily, psychological, dietary, social, and environmental wants which can’t be met by a life in captivity. In consequence, these, typically threatened, creatures can endure poor well being and psychological harm. Elevated demand for unique ‘pets’ additionally places strain on wild populations of many already threatened species.
Wild animals being stored in home settings additionally presents a really actual danger to public security. These animals retain a lot of their pure, wild behaviours, and being stored in disturbing, unnatural, confined environments, can doubtlessly make them extra harmful. There are additionally main issues in regards to the doable transmission of zoonotic ailments from animals to people related to the retaining of captive wild animals.
Disturbingly, Born Free additionally found that some councils are unaware of the precise species of animal being stored, regardless of a requirement to determine this inside the laws, which raises additional severe animal welfare, and well being and security, issues.
The analysis reveals a number of troubling traits, together with the continued recognition of proudly owning small wild cats, or hybrids (crosses between a wild and home cat). There have been 53 servals (throughout 29 completely different licences) and 43 hybrid wild cats (throughout 21 completely different licences), making them probably the most, and second-most, licensed species on the listing. This present craze seems to be pushed by their presence in posts throughout social media, and is especially alarming. As soon as the hybridised animals produce offspring, they now not require a Harmful Wild Animals licence, regardless of the excessive illustration of untamed genes which stay inside the animals. It’s also of concern to Born Free that the variety of lemurs has elevated from 151 to 175 since 2020, highlighting the continuing want for higher restrictions on the retaining of primates as pets.
Born Free has been campaigning to guard the welfare of unique wild animals stored as ‘pets’ since 2005 and has repeatedly monitored the dimensions of harmful wild animal possession since 2017. The analysis launched at the moment reveals that it stays an enormous difficulty that urgently wants addressing.
On account of its findings, Born Free is looking on the UK authorities to assessment the Harmful Wild Animals Act. The charity is asking the general public to affix them in campaigning for change by writing to their native MP utilizing the shape discovered right here: bornfree.org.uk/dangerous-wild-animals/ to demand improved regulation that can guarantee far higher restrictions on the commerce in, and retaining of, wild animals as ‘pets’ within the UK. The nation wants higher laws which absolutely considers:
- Whether or not particular person animal welfare wants could be absolutely met, and house owners have the mandatory {qualifications} and expertise and might present the suitable setting to fulfill these wants
- Whether or not the commerce is prone to compromise the conservation of species within the wild
- Potential environmental issues, such because the escape of probably invasive species
- Dangers to public and animal well being & security, together with the unfold of zoonotic ailments
Harmful animals are usually not ‘pets’ to be stored by personal house owners, however wild creatures that deserve safety and to stay as nature meant.
Dr Mark Jones, Born Free’s Head of Coverage stated, “It’s unbelievable that, at the moment, so many harmful animals, together with large cats, giant primates, crocodiles and venomous snakes, proceed to be legally stored in individuals’s properties within the UK. Rising demand for and commerce in every kind of untamed animals as unique pets places house owners and the broader public prone to harm or illness. It additionally leads to severe animal struggling, and the demand will increase the strain on many wild populations which are sometimes already below risk. The UK likes to say to be on the forefront of efforts to guard nature and enhance the welfare of animals, but our laws governing the retaining of and commerce in unique pets is woefully outdated. The Harmful Wild Animals Act needs to be overhauled as a matter of urgency, with a view to part out the personal retaining of these species that clearly don’t belong in individuals’s properties.”
Chris Lewis, Born Free’s Captivity Analysis Officer added, “The Harmful Wild Animals Act was meant to make the retaining of such animals categorised as “harmful” an entirely distinctive circumstance. Nonetheless, Born Free’s ongoing analysis paints a really completely different image. Many members of the general public will rightly be shocked to study of so many animals being stored by personal keepers. But, at its core, the Act relies upon the belief that it’s doable to maintain harmful wild animals in a manner that minimises or eliminates danger to the general public and in a way that meets an animal’s welfare wants. This has resulted in laws being reactionary, struggling to maintain tempo with ever-changing scientific proof and changing into more and more out-of-date. The laws pertaining to the retaining and buying and selling of untamed animals stored as pets are in pressing want of assessment.”
