Wild Animals as Pets: FAQs

Born Free opposes the capture, breeding, sale and keeping of wild (or exotic) animals as pets. Wild animals, whether they are taken from the wild or born in captivity, have complex needs that cannot be adequately met by private keepers in a domestic environment. 

The exotic pet trade involves a huge and varied range of species, with vastly differing physical, psychological, social and environmental requirements, and for many species we don’t yet understand these requirements in full.

However well-intentioned some owners may be, a wild animal’s complex needs can rarely if ever be fully met by private keepers in a domestic environment, which means the animal may often end up suffering physically and/or psychologically.

Domesticated animals such as cats, dogs and horses have been selectively bred over many generations and hundreds or thousands of years to live alongside humans, and are genetically distinct from their wild ancestors.

Wild animals, even if they are captive bred, have not evolved or been selectively bred in such a way, and possess complex behavioural, environmental, social, nutritional and other welfare needs that make them unsuited to a life in captivity.

As a result, these animals can suffer from poor health and welfare when kept in captivity, and the fact that they retain many of their natural, wild behaviours while being kept in stressful, unnatural, confined environments, can make them unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Sadly yes. There is no prohibition on the keeping of most species of wild animals as pets in the UK. However, some species considered to be potentially dangerous require a Dangerous Wild Animal licence from the relevant Local Authority. The species for which a DWA licence is required are listed in the ‘schedule’ of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

Born Free is increasingly concerned by the number and variety of wild animals available for sale to the general public.

The demand for exotic pets fuels both the legal and illegal wildlife trade, and the scale of the industry – involving pet shops, trade fairs, classified and online advertisements – is huge. While some animals are bred in the UK, Born Free’s investigations have revealed that millions of individual wild animals derived from at least 90 countries have been imported into the UK to supply the pet trade in recent years.

The exotic pet trade has been described as ‘an important and increasing driver of biodiversity loss.’ The collection of animals from the wild for the exotic pet trade has led to serious, and in some cases catastrophic, population and species declines.

The breeding of animals in captivity also fails to address the threats species face in the wild. The prospects of reintroducing captive born individuals into the wild is incredibly low, and the continued availability and marketing of species that are captive bred can stimulate demand and put further pressure on wild populations.

The conditions in which animals are bred and managed in captive breeding facilities and during transportation to markets are also typically poor, and can lead to illness, injury and death in many cases.

There are also problems concerning the escape or deliberate release of non-indigenous, ‘invasive’ species into the wild. If such animals establish themselves, they can be hugely damaging to native wildlife and wild habitats. Invasive species are considered a major cause of global biodiversity loss.

Many species kept as exotic pets are potentially dangerous. They retain their natural instincts and may be unpredictable, and can inflict serious injury or transmit harmful diseases. The probability of such occurrences only increases when animals are stressed in a captive environment.

There have been numerous incidences of exotic pets attacking people around the world, resulting in serious human injuries and deaths. In the UK, certain species considered to be potentially dangerous require a Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) licence from the relevant Local Authority. The species for which a DWA licence is required are listed in the ‘schedule’ of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. It contains many of the species one would expect, including large mammals like elephants and rhinos, big cats and other carnivores, bears, and many reptiles including crocodiles, alligators and numerous venomous snakes.

Shockingly, many species, including some that any right-minded person would consider to be dangerous, aren’t listed on the DWA schedule and don’t require a licence to be kept. They include, for example, Komodo dragons, other large monitors, and large constrictor snakes. A number of species that are considered dangerous when held in a zoo, such as some deer species and some large birds of prey, also don’t require a licence when kept as a pet.

We believe it is far too easy to obtain a Dangerous Wild Animals licence.

The degree to which checks are carried out, and by whom, varies enormously between Local Authorities, but in many cases they are minimal and subjective, and may be carried out by people who don’t have detailed knowledge of the needs of and potential dangers posed by the species concerned.

The licensing process requires the applicant to demonstrate that their animals are properly contained so as to prevent escape and protect the public, but this does little to protect the owner or anyone else visiting the property, and animal welfare provisions within the Act are at best rudimentary. Furthermore, there are long-standing concerns about widespread non-compliance with the Act, especially with respect to venomous reptiles and invertebrates.

Born Free’s 2023 survey revealed that over 2,500 dangerous wild animals are licensed to be kept privately in Great Britain (and there may be many more kept without a licence).

A total of 186 private addresses across 126 local authorities held licences to keep dangerous wild animals such as lions, tigers, crocodilians and venomous reptiles.

Check our DWA Map to see whether dangerous animals are being kept in your area.

As a minimum, we are calling for a comprehensive review of the regulation of the private keeping of wild animals in the UK.

New regulations should include full consideration of: whether the welfare needs of individual animals can be met; whether owners have the necessary qualifications and experience; a guarantee that the trade is not likely to compromise conservation of species in the wild; due consideration of potential environmental concerns (such as the establishment of invasive species through escapes, the deliberate releases of unwanted pets, and the possible spread of zoonotic diseases); and confirmation that there is minimal risk to the health and safety of animals or people.

Born Free advocates for an end to the private keeping of exotic and dangerous wild animals as pets, and regulation of the keeping of all species of wild animals to ensure their welfare needs can be provided for. Clearly this may mean that some animals currently in private hands would be affected by any restrictions.

Where such animals cannot be relocated to suitable sanctuaries, they would need to remain with their current owners. However, this should only be allowed on the condition that they can be kept safely, that they wouldn’t be bred from, that regular inspections take place to make sure they are not suffering unduly, and that, after they die, they would not be replaced.

Please support Born Free’s campaign by writing to your MP, calling on the Government to review and reform laws on the private keeping of dangerous wild animals.