COULD you be living next door to a dangerous wild animal?

Now you can find out thanks to the interactive map published by the international charity, Born Free Foundation.

According to the survey, a staggering 3951 dangerous wild animals are licensed to be kept privately as pets in Great Britain.

This figure doesn’t even account for the numerous exotic pets that are kept without a license.

Lions, tigers and venomous reptiles are just some of the dangerous pets being kept at private addresses in the country.

Dr Mark Jones, Veterinarian and Born Free’s Head of Policy, states: “Born Free has been collating and analysing DWA data for over 20 years.

“Since the millennium the wild animal welfare and conservation charity has seen a dramatic increase in the number of exotic pets in private ownership, including a 94% increase in the number of venomous snakes, 57% increase in wild cats, 198% increase in crocodilians and over a 2000% increase in scorpions.

“However, these figures are likely to represent only the tip of the iceberg. They only record those animals being kept and registered with a DWA licence.

“Born Free believes that many additional dangerous wild animals are being kept without a licence.”

How can I obtain a license to keep a wild animal?

According to the gov.uk website, you need a license to keep a wild animal- specifically the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 license.

You must also show that the animal is properly contained in order to prevent it escaping into the wider public.

Lemurs, armadillo and anteaters are just some of the animals you need a license for.

Exotic pets are on the rise in Yorkshire

Local authorities in Yorkshire revealed that the licences granted cover 131 dangerous wild animals residing in the area, of which there are at least:

  • 18 crocodilians including American alligators, Dwarf caimans and Saltwater crocodiles
  • 23 primates including Ring-tailed lemurs, Red ruffed lemurs, and Capuchins
  • 37 venomous snakes including a King cobra, Indochinese spitting cobras, and a White-lipped pit viper
  • 2 Asian short-clawed otter
  • 36 Ostrich
  • 5 Bison
  • 10 cats including an Asian leopard cat, Savannah cats, and a Serval

Shockingly, the entire combined data across all authorities highlighted that a total of 210 DWA licences were granted for the keeping of 3,951 individual wild animals including:

  • 320 wild cats (including 61 big cats – 11 lions, 8 tigers, 11 leopards, 18 pumas, 10 cheetahs, 2 ligers and 1 jaguar)
  • 274 primates (including over 150 lemurs)
  • 158 crocodilians
  • 508 venomous snakes (including 57 diamondback rattlesnakes)
  • 332 scorpions
  • 106 venomous lizards
  • 2 elephants

Which exotic pets are being kept in West Yorkshire?

According to the Map, there aren’t any dangerous wild animals registered at any Bradford addresses.

However, if you ever wanted to get one in Bradford, a license will cost you £185.57 plus vet fees

In Calerdale, a total of 9 DWA licenses were granted for exotic snakes.

These include:

  • 2 Aruba Island Rattlesnakes
  • 2 Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
  • 2 Neo Tropical Rattlesnake
  • 1 Mojave Rattlesnake
  • 1 Pakistan Black Cobra
  • 1 Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

In Kirklees, some private addresses are home to some cats which have a powerful instinct to hunt and kill.

These include five Bengal Cats and one Leopard Cat.

According to Leeds City Council, one Savannah cat is being kept as a pet in the city.

You can view the full interactive map on the Born Free website.