{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762034.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":762034,"attributes":{"action":"Add Meerkats to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976","background":"Add Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) to the Schedule of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. This will end their unregulated sale in pet shops and require any owner to hold a specialist license and we think, mean only those who can provide for their complex \"mob\" social needs to purchase them.","additional_details":"Meerkats are social animals. In our view, in the UK, they are sold with less regulation than dogs, leading to a \"fad pet\" crisis. For meerkats, isolation from other meerkats can cause self-harm and psychological shutdown. This mirrors primates, which the Govt recently protected due to their social complexity.","committee_note":"","state":"open","signature_count":20,"created_at":"2026-02-21T12:47:02.687Z","updated_at":"2026-04-12T17:06:30.000Z","rejected_at":null,"opened_at":"2026-04-02T09:41:33.856Z","closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2026-02-21T14:02:40.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":"Christopher David Jackson","rejection":null,"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[{"acronym":"DEFRA","name":"Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs"}],"topics":[],"signatures_by_country":[{"name":"United Kingdom","code":"GB","signature_count":19},{"name":"United States","code":"US","signature_count":1}],"signatures_by_constituency":[{"name":"Colne Valley","ons_code":"E14001177","mp":"Paul Davies MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Croydon West","ons_code":"E14001188","mp":"Sarah Jones MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Easington","ons_code":"E14001211","mp":"Grahame Morris MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"East Wiltshire","ons_code":"E14001217","mp":"Danny Kruger MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Harlow","ons_code":"E14001267","mp":"Chris Vince MP","signature_count":4},{"name":"Hyndburn","ons_code":"E14001299","mp":"Sarah Smith MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Kettering","ons_code":"E14001311","mp":"Rosie Wrighting MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Kingswinford and South Staffordshire","ons_code":"E14001316","mp":"Mike Wood MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Mid Buckinghamshire","ons_code":"E14001360","mp":"Greg Smith MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Newton Abbot","ons_code":"E14001381","mp":"Martin Wrigley MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Ribble Valley","ons_code":"E14001443","mp":"Maya Ellis MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Rochester and Strood","ons_code":"E14001447","mp":"Lauren Edwards MP","signature_count":2},{"name":"St Austell and Newquay","ons_code":"E14001508","mp":"Noah Law MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Widnes and Halewood","ons_code":"E14001584","mp":"Derek Twigg MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe","ons_code":"W07000085","mp":"David Chadwick MP","signature_count":1}],"signatures_by_region":[{"name":"North East","ons_code":"A","signature_count":1},{"name":"North West","ons_code":"B","signature_count":3},{"name":"Yorkshire and The Humber","ons_code":"D","signature_count":1},{"name":"East Midlands","ons_code":"E","signature_count":1},{"name":"West Midlands","ons_code":"F","signature_count":1},{"name":"East of England","ons_code":"G","signature_count":4},{"name":"London","ons_code":"H","signature_count":1},{"name":"South East","ons_code":"J","signature_count":3},{"name":"South West","ons_code":"K","signature_count":3},{"name":"Wales","ons_code":"L","signature_count":1}],"other_parliamentary_business":[]}}}