Aardvarks are a species included on the Dangerous Wild Animals License. The full list of species is included here: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/protect/documents/dwa-animallist.pdf
This is an interesting list. If you want a kodkod, bay cat, or aardwolf, you don't need a license. Are there lots of bay cats and kodkods running through the suburbs of the UK?
Hello David. I came across the list when I was doing some research for a question. I wonder why people could keep a bay cat or kodkod. As far as I know, neither species is kept by any zoo. You also don't need a licence for a broad-nosed gentle lemur, but you need one for a ring-tailed lemur or an indri. You also don't need a licence for a thylacine, but you do for a capuchin monkey, which is considered to be a dangerous animal, while a human isn't. Presumably you can keep a New Guinea singing dog, but you can't keep a dingo. I also wonder why the European otter is the only species not considered to be dangerous. Also, I wonder why none of the deadly venomous cnidarians are mentioned, specially as several aquartia now how various jellyfish. Alos, no insects are mentioned and I doubt if neighbours would be happy if Asiatic giant hornets or African killer bees escaped from a zoo from Hell. I must admit that I'm impressed that the people compiling the list knew about certain species that most people wouldn't have heard of. I just find it confusing how some were classified as dangerous, while close relatives were not.
I wondered if the reason that European badgers and otters were exempt was so that wildlife rescue centres didn't need a licence, but that would be pure speculation on my part!
I suspect that, where the felid listings are concerned, they just chose a cut-off point in terms of weight and designated anything heavier as DWA-level, as all the species listed are the most lightweight feline taxa.
I think things like jellyfish aren't mentioned because they can't really escape and cause trouble. The listings are assessed on what an animal could to do if it got out and came into contact with members of the public rather than on risk to the owner or caregiver.
The DWAL is there to protect the public not the owner, so that's the reason why cnidarians aren't covered by it. The reason European badgers, European otters and grey seals are not covered by it is because they are covered by other legislation stopping the public from keeping them unless they are recovering from an illness and recuperating. Dassie rat, the reason the people compiling the list knew so much is because that is their profession! there is a committee that updated the DWAL in 2007 that included members from various public bodies and included people who keep dangerous wild animals themselves.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER ATTACKED BY ESCAPED JELLYFISH British Prime Minister David Cameron was stung by a swarm of box jellies this afternoon at 10 Downing Street. While authorities have not released details, the jellies were believed to have been in the toilet of Cameron's private bathroom. The jellies are thought to have found their way into 10 Downing Street through the sewer system and possibly originated as escaped animals from a private collector. The extent and location of Cameron's injuries are undisclosed at this time, but given the location of the jellies....
In fact I remember reading that the DWA act was only brought in in 1976 because the government hung by a thread and to get the extra votes needed to stave off an election they gave in and produced the list. Personally I don't mind it on the whole, the problem is it is down to individual councils to police and having worked in local government myself i'm not sure some of them would know a rat tailed maggot from a middle eastern thin tailed scorpion. It is ironic that one of the most dangerous animal bites comes from the common moggy felis domesticus,as their mouths contain a multitude of b very dangerous bacteria,of course they also have claws to back up the teeth, some of the animals on the list couldn't do as much damage as a cat at full throttle can do . Is Northern Ireland now covered with the DWA as it didn't use to be?
Northern Ireland were not covered by any legislation regarding dangerous wild animals up until 2006 when the DWA legislation from the rest of the UK was introduced. The Republic of Ireland still has no DWAL!
Hey, When I was studying to be a keeper we studied zoo legislation, and public laws. Some animals I have worked with should be on there. For example that was a good point u made about the venomous marine life..the thinking is safety of others if escaped. I know dwa keepers, they are held responsible for their envenomation procedure. The law tends towards public not keeper..I.e. a stone fish is a hazard for owner not someone next door. Blue ringed octopus are v good at escaping enclosures, should be on there. I know they are getting stricter with large constrictor snakes..rock python, retic, anaconda..very potentially dangerous. I worked with inverts a lot and here are some that should be taken more seriously that are not dwa.. Platymerus (assassin bugs)..can be v nasty Scolopendra..dodgy to work with, rather clean out a latrodectus spider than a large centipede, and like hell when using tongs. As you said some stinging wasps,hornets. Wouldnt fancy a bulldog ant sting, and would cause havoc in environment Had a friend who kept six eyed sand spiders, they have nasty venom but no license. Great discussion..and shows how laws in general dont make sense, particularly wildlife laws I do a lot with native reptiles, set up and monitor sites for ARG.particularly adders..adders need much more protection there are so many loop holes in their protection, we have big problems with people interference Needs to be more control for conservation issues too..lot of inverts decimated by over collection for the trade.. Remember a guy who kept a spotted hyena in his house roaming free in one country..umm no..lot of zoo and private keepers obituaries of people that "I hand reared that leopard since a cub, always hands on" .. Welfare too..snapping turtles that outgrow enclosures let loose and my fave..in one tropical pet centre..a naked mole rat kept on sawdust..alone.. There are some great private keepers that breed species when zoos fail, but a lot slips by
Sorry for restarting an old thread but I wanted to share something which might be of interest; Back in the 90's when I was but a mere schoolboy I had a classmate who had some connection to the proprietors of a local garden centre (this was in Cornwall), I think they were family members but I forget the specifics. Anyway this kid swore blind they had a couple of pet aardvarks there! I visited the place and didn't see any signs of any aardvarks, but this was the sort of place that had things like peacocks and guinea fowls and such like roaming about freely (which was relatively unusual at the time) and they had an exotic pets section there a few years later I seem to recall.
