# Private Keeping of Dangerous Wild Animals in Great Britain

## TL;DR

This study examines the private keeping of dangerous wild animals in Great Britain, finding a decline in overall numbers but notable increases in certain species like crocodiles and venomous snakes.

## Contribution

The study provides the first comprehensive analysis of private dangerous wild animal licensing in Great Britain in over 20 years.

## Key findings

- There were 3950 dangerous wild animals kept by 210 licensees across more than one-third of British local authorities in 2020.
- Non-farmed dangerous taxa populations increased by 59% over 20 years, with crocodilians rising by 198%.
- Licensing fees have decreased, and there is a negative association between cost and licensing.

## Abstract

In Great Britain, private animal keepers such as pet owners and farmers require a licence from their local government authority to keep wild animals of species formally categorised as “dangerous”. No central record of these licences is maintained by the national Governments in Britain, and the last formal examination of the situation was published more than 20 years ago. We examined the scale and scope of private keeping of dangerous wild animals in England, Scotland, and Wales in 2020. We found a total of 3950 individual dangerous wild animals kept by 210 licensees across more than one-third of British local authorities. While overall numbers of licensed dangerous wild animals have declined over the preceding 20 years, there have been notable increases in the keeping of some taxa such as wild cats, venomous snakes, and crocodilians. There is evidence that the average relative cost to obtain a licence to keep a dangerous wild animal has decreased since the earlier study, and that local authorities with licensed animals have lower licensing fees than those without. We discuss the current system of licensing with a view to making recommendations for improvement.

We analysed the licences issued by British local government authorities under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, which regulates the private keeping of wild animals categorised as “dangerous”, to assess the scope and scale of private keeping of dangerous wild animals in Great Britain. Results are compared with historical data from England and Wales, showing that there has been an overall decrease both in the total population of dangerous wild animals privately kept under licence and the number of licences, resulting primarily from a decrease in the farming of wild boar and ostrich, and from certain other species no longer requiring a licence to be kept. Nonetheless, the private keeping of dangerous wild animals remains prevalent, with a total population of 3950 animals kept under licence, and at least one-third of local authorities in Britain licensing keepers of one or more such animals. The population of non-farmed dangerous taxa has increased by 59% in 20 years, with notable increases in crocodilians (198%), venomous snakes (94%), and wild cats (57%). We present evidence that the average cost of a licence to keep dangerous wild animals has fallen over time, and that there is a negative association between cost and licensing. The current schedule of species categorised as dangerous is compared to a formally recognised list of species kept in zoos assessed by risk to the public. Problems with the legislation, enforcement of the licensing system, and animal welfare for privately kept dangerous wild animals are identified and discussed.