how2skinatiger:

Nearly 4,000 dangerous wild animals, including lions, tigers, rattlesnakes and crocodiles, are being kept legally as exotic pets in Britain – an increase of 59 per cent in two decades, according to a new report.

Elephants, venomous lizards, scorpions, lemurs, pumas, cheetahs, wolves, zebras, sun bears and camels are also being privately kept under licence.

Mark Jones, of Born Free, the wildlife charity that compiled the report, said: “These figures are likely to represent only the tip of the iceberg. They only record those animals [that are] being kept and registered with a DWA licence. We believe that many additional dangerous wild animals are being kept without a licence.”

It’s calling on the Government to immediately review the law and “put a stop to some of the world’s most remarkable, but often deadly, creatures being kept as ‘pets’ in unsuitable captive conditions”.

Since the millennium, Born Free has seen a dramatic increase in the number of exotic pets in private ownership since 2000, including a 94 per cent increase in the number of venomous snakes, a 57 per cent rise in wild cats and a tripling of crocodiles, alligators and caimans. Meanwhile, scorpion numbers have soared more than 20-fold.

Currently, under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, anyone in Britain can keep a dangerous wild animal as long as they obtain a licence from their local authority.

The licencing process requires the applicant to demonstrate that their animals are properly contained so as to prevent escape and protect the public, but this does little to ensure the welfare of the animals or the protection of the owner or anyone else visiting the property, Born Free says.