Closed petition Ban the keeping of wild and dangerous animals as pets.

Closed on 11 February 2021

The law needs to be reformed to ban wild animals from being kept as pets and so prevent their potential suffering behind closed doors. Wild animals have complex needs and require specific conditions that are unlikely to be replicated in captivity, resulting in unnecessary suffering.

Lions and elephants are among animals being kept legally as pets. Under the Dangerous and Wild Animals Act anyone can keep such animals as long as they obtain a licence from their council.

Consequently, permission was recently given in Nottingham for 2 lions and a puma to be kept in an enclosure on private property that is 380m2. Wild lions and pumas occupy territories hundreds of square kilometres and so this seems woefully inadequate and should not be allowed to happen in the UK.