More than 150 endagered and big cats kept in UK private collections

December 06. The results of a recent survey has found that 154 assorted big cats are in private hands in the UK, including 12 Lions, 14 Tigers and 50 Leopards. Some smaller cats such as Servals and Leopard Cats are being kept to hybridise with domestic cats to produce the ‘designer pet’ varieties of cat known as Savannahs and Bengals respectively. The Big Cats in Britain Research Group conducted the survey; they obtained the information under the Freedom of Information Act by approaching all 408 local authorities in the country to see how many Dangerous Wild Animals were being kept by licensed private keepers. Animals in zoos do not come under this form of control, and so these figures do not include zoo animals. Under the Dangerous Wild Animal Act 1976 private owners of all animals that are legally deemed to be dangerous are required to purchase, annually, a licence from the local authority. The authority is responsible for inspecting the owner’s premises, setting standards and confirming that the owner carries third party liability insurance for the animal. The authorities are also responsible for seizing and disposing of unlicensed animals.

Although the survey was conducted to primarily find out how many exotic (i.e. non domestic) cats are in private hands in Great Britain it has revealed some interesting results in relation to other species. There are, for instance, almost 500 assorted monkeys and 2000 ostriches in private ownership as well as over 250 poisonous snakes and 50 members of the crocodile family. Over 300 American Bison are also grazing in our rolling countryside and Wild Boar number over 6000 individuals, at any one time. Scientific adviser to BCIB Chris Moiser, said that ‘In this day and age, with so many restrictions on keeping exotic animals, it is a pleasant surprise to see how many people go to such lengths to keep their animals properly and lawfully. It is perhaps concerning though that the majority of escapes seem to be wild boar which have been deliberately released by animal rights activists.’

Mark Fraser, founder of the BCIB Research Group, said ‘It is not the responsible legal owners that 'lose' their animals, but those that are kept illegally with ill regard and little thought to their welfare. More and more exotic animals are being seen in the British countryside today, making it an interesting place to be. In December of 2006 the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in Northern Ireland, and it will be interesting to see what effect this has’.

However Wildlife Extra questions, with the populations of so many of these cats in the wild in a parlous state, why it is permitted to keep such rare cats as Amur and Snow leopards, tigers in private collections when, if they are to be kept in captitivty, they should be in a breeding programme. Now the government has banned the import of wild birds, we question why it is still permitted to import or trade any wild animals. And to keep such beautiful cats as servals and Leopard cats in captivity for the purpose of creating designer pets is quite abhorrent.

For further information on these figures, and to see the full list see the big cats in Britain website www.bigcatsinbritain.org.