Alligators and crocodiles among thousands of dangerous wild animals being kept as pets in Britain, research shows

More than 2,200 dangerous wild animals, from venomous snakes to big cats, are currently kept as “pets” across Britain, new research has revealed.

Wildlife organization Born Free has revealed that creatures such as pit vipers, tigers and crocodiles are being legally housed in private residences and other settings under the 50-year-old Dangerous Wild Animals Act (DWAA).

Born Free’s founding patron, actress Dame Joanna Lumley, has now called for changes to the law.

He said: “Wild animals should never be kept as pets, no matter how much we think we can give them a wonderful home.

“Their life should be in the wilderness.

“It is shocking that so many are still legally held in private hands, supporting a cruel and horrific trade.”

What are the concerns?

The charity suggests large numbers of people are likely keeping dangerous, non-native species in their homes.

This practice not only poses a potential threat to public safety, but also raises serious concerns about the welfare and suffering of the animals involved.

Born Free is now calling for a major overhaul of outdated legislation regulating these exotic creatures.

Although some of these animals are found in educational facilities, sanctuaries, or contribute to conservation efforts, such as bison in large forested areas, Born Free warns of a significant risk.

What the data says

Born Free also said many more potentially dangerous wild animals were being kept illegally.

The Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in 1976 to control the private possession of animals deemed to pose a risk to the public.

Data from local authorities responsible for licensing under the law shows more than 500 venomous snakes are kept privately across Britain.

There are also approximately 300 primates, 79 crocodiles, crocodiles and caimans, and 166 wild cats, including lions, pumas and tigers, on private property.

Privately kept animals include crocodiles and gila monsters in Angus and cheetahs in Cheshire, while snakes, including cobras, green mambas, rattlesnakes and boomers, are kept across the country.

The charity has published a searchable database at: https://www.bornfree.org.uk/dwamap so people can see which animals are allowed to be kept under the Act in their area.

The number of venomous snakes rose from 403 to 512 after the charity last surveyed DWAA data from 2023. The number of dangerous primates increased from 256 in 2023 to 293 currently.

Born Free also noted that there was a social media-driven craze to own small feral cats and hybrids, which are among the most commonly licensed breeds, although later generation hybrids may still have significant feral characteristics but fall outside the licensing requirement.

The charity’s research found that Scotland is home to the most licensed wildcat hybrids in Britain, while Carmarthenshire in Wales is home to the country’s only elephant kept under such a licence, and the world’s deadliest snake – the saw-scale viper – is licensed to be kept in Greater London.

Sanctuaries such as WildSide Exotic Rescue in Herefordshire highlight the damage that captivity can do to wild, non-native animals, including mountain lions Tyson and Taylor, who are kept to breed in a concrete-floored cage behind a bungalow, and Kit, an illegally kept lynx.

The sanctuary is also home to ring-tailed lemurs kept in a single-windowed shed, Luna the lynx kept as pets along with domestic cats, and maids forced to breed and live in a shed-like enclosure in the garden until their owner admits they can no longer cope.

Call to change the law

Born Free said DWAA licenses did not mean animals were kept in appropriate conditions and the law needed to be reviewed and reformed to protect people and wild animals.

Chris Lewis, Born Free’s captivity research and policy manager, said: “The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 was intended to make the possession of wild animals classed as ‘dangerous’ a completely exceptional situation.

“Yet 50 years later we find ourselves in a situation where almost ten times more venomous snakes are kept in British homes than in British zoos, where servals continue to be needlessly and cruelly crossbred with domestic cats to produce ‘trendy’ hybrids, and where primates are imprisoned despite the government admitting they are unsuitable for keeping as pets.

“These animals are still wild, still dangerous, but still legal to keep.

“The government must urgently review and reform laws governing the trade and keeping of wild animals as pets.”

Born Free wants ministers to reform the law in England and Wales, introducing evidence-based measures to prevent harm, close loopholes, strengthen enforcement and meet the UK’s commitments to animal welfare, biosecurity, conservation and public health.

A Department for the Environment (Defra) spokesman said: “Anyone wishing to keep an animal under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act must be carefully examined and apply for a license which sets out the strict conditions under which the animals must be kept.”

Defra said a local authority should only grant a license under the Act if it is not contrary to the public interest for reasons of safety or nuisance and if the animal’s accommodation is suitable, clean and safe.

Separately, the Wildlife Trusts called for legal reforms for animals such as bison and elk currently used in farming rules as well as conservation regimes subject to the DWAA.

They would like to see a new state of “wilderness conservation” that would meet welfare requirements while also allowing such animals to live more naturally across large areas of land, helping to increase wildlife and habitat.