Closed petition Take Dwarf Caiman off of the DWA Act of 1976

Closed on 30 March 2015

Dwarf caiman species are on the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 needlessly. It is legal to keep 12 foot long monitor lizards without a license however you need a license to keep a 4 foot long caiman. There are, more dangerous, animals which you can go to a shop and buy with no questions asked. Licenses are issued by the local council. Some councils dislike giving licenses and can charge high rates (into the £1000s) whereas other councils don't even charge £100. The licensing criteria are not fixed and vary from council to council, what is the point in requiring a license if the guidelines are so varied? Isn't this is no different to keeping the animal in an appropriate enclosure without a license? At least change the criteria for keeping them to only requiring that the cage is inspected and approved by a vet.

I would like the government to either take these animals off of the act or change the legalities of owning them so that the caging only needs inspecting and approving.