Venomous snakes, crocodiles and alligators kept as pets in Scotland, Born Free research shows

Scots are keeping dangerous wild animals such as venomous snakes, crocodiles and alligators as pets, according to research by wildlife charity Born Free.

The charity said that across Britain, more than 2,200 animals classed as “dangerous”, including pit vipers, tigers and crocodiles, are being legally kept in UK homes and other private settings.

Some of the animals licensed to be kept under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act (DWAA) are in educational facilities, sanctuaries or even part of conservation projects – such as bison in large-scale enclosures in woodlands and countryside.

But Born Free said many people are keeping dangerous, non-native creatures in private homes, potentially posing a risk to public safety and causing suffering to the animals themselves.

Born Free is calling for an overhaul of the 50-year-old legislation.

Angus is home to the Nile Crocodile Adobe Stock

In Angus, there are 22 licenced dangerous animals in the region, including crocodiles, alligators, Gila monsters, gaboon vipers, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and a rhino viper.

Moray is home to at least 13 wild cats, including Savannah cats and servals, while in Perth and Kinross, there are 30 Mouflon sheep, four Przewalski’s horses and three bison.

In Dumfries and Galloway, there are 40 wild boar, six camels and a lynx, while there are nine ostriches in Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeen city is home to one venomous reptile.

There are five wild boar in East Ayrshire, and in Fife, there is one licensed Savannah cat.

Born Free also highlighted what it said was a social media-fuelled craze to own small wild cats and hybrids, which are among the most frequently licensed species.

However, later-generation hybrids can fall outside licensing requirements while still having significant wild traits.

The charity’s research found Scotland is home to the most licensed wild cat hybrids in Britain.

Born Free has noted a rise in small wild cats, such as Savannah's in Scotland — Born Free has noted a rise in small wild cats, such as Savannah’s in Scotland Adobe Stock

Actress Dame Joanna Lumley, Born Free’s founder patron, called for a change in the law, saying: “Wild animals should never ever be kept as pets, no matter how much we feel we could give them a wonderful home.

“Their lives should be in the wild.

“It is shocking that so many are still being legally kept in private hands, propping up a cruel and ghastly trade.”

Born Free also said that potentially many more dangerous wild animals are being held illegally.

The Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in 1976 to control the private keeping of animals considered to pose a risk to the public

Data obtained from local authorities, who are responsible for licences under the Act, show more than 500 venomous snakes are being kept privately across Britain.

There are also nearly 300 primates in private ownership, 79 crocodiles, alligators and caimans, and 166 wild cats, including lions, pumas and tigers.

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

Born Free said there are reports of tigers being kept privately in Britain. iStock

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

“Yet 50 years on we find ourselves in a situation where nearly ten times more venomous snakes are kept in British homes than British zoos, servals continue to be unnecessarily and cruelly crossbred with domestic cats to produce ‘fashionable’ hybrids, and primates continue to be confined despite the Government acknowledging they are unsuited to being kept as pets.

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

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

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

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

Defra said a local authority must only grant a licence under the Act if it would not be contrary to the public interest on safety or nuisance grounds and the animal’s accommodation is suitable, clean and secure.

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

They want to see a new “kept wild” status that would meet welfare requirements while allowing such animals to live more natural lives over large landscapes where they would help boost wildlife and habitats.