- Plans unveiled to ban the keeping of primates as pets
- The government anticipates that up to 5,000 primates are
currently kept outside of licenced zoos
- Eight-week consultation launched today
The Government has today (12 December)
launched proposals to ban keeping primates as pets in England,
inviting the public to have their say on the issue over the next
eight weeks.
This public
consultation on the government’s manifesto
commitment to ban keeping primates such as capuchins, lemurs and
squirrel monkeys forms part of a renewed push to cement the UK’s
position as a world leader on animal welfare.
Primates are highly intelligent wild animals
with complicated welfare needs, and require open spaces, varied
diets, social contact and plenty ofwarmth and light. Findings
from a recent call
for evidence found that these complex needs cannot
be met in a home environment.
Under these new plans, it will be an offence
to keep a primate as a pet in England. Only those keeping
primates to zoo level standards will be permitted to keep
primates.
Animal Welfare Minister
said:
“Primates are hugely intelligent and socially
complex animals. When they are confined in tiny cages, often
alone and with little stimulation, their lives are a
misery.
“It’s important that we take action to prevent
the suffering caused to them when they are kept as pets, and so I
am delighted that we are moving a big step closer towards banning
the practice. These proposals will ensure that we have the
strongest protections in place for our animals.
“We have some of the highest animal welfare
standards in the world, and these plans form part of a range of
measures we are taking to raise the bar even further, such as
ending live animal exports and cracking down on illegal puppy
smuggling.”
The government anticipates that up to 5,000
primates are currently kept outside of licensed zoos in the UK.
Marmosets are by far the most commonly held primates in the UK,
with capuchins, squirrel monkeys, lemurs and tamarins also among
the most common species.
Monkey World, a sanctuary for abused and
neglected primates in Dorset, have taken in over 100 primates
from the UK pet trade, with 78 primates rescued in the last 10
years alone and now have a waiting list of over 100 more.
The new proposals mean that specialist primate
keepers who do not hold a zoo licence will need to obtain a new
specialist private primate keeper licence to ensure they are
meeting the requiredhigh welfare standards. These plans will also
placewelfare restrictions on the breeding and transferring of
primates.
Monkey World Director Dr Alison Cronin
said:
“Monkey World has rescued primates from the UK
pet trade for more than 30 years, and we have experienced a
dramatic increase in the numbers recently.
“Current laws are not protecting the monkeys
from abuse or neglect, as they arrive at the park malnourished,
with rickets, mobility problems and psychologically damaged as a
result of living in solitary confinement, inside people’s
houses.
“We are asking people to take part in this
consultation to signal that this trade is unacceptable and the
current legislation is not working. The laws must change.”
Dr Ros Clubb, Senior Scientific
Manager at the RSPCA said :
“We warmly welcome the government’s proposals
to ban keeping primates as pets in England.
“The RSPCA has been calling for a complete ban
on the keeping and trade of primates as pets for some time,
because their needs simply cannot be met in a domestic
environment. They are intelligent, sentient and highly social
animals with complex needs. Just like humans, primates can become
depressed without adequate stimulation. They need a spacious and
enriched environment that challenges their intelligent brains and
allows for them to behave like primates should, yet we are still
finding them kept alone in indoor bird cages in living
rooms.”
This announcement marks the
start of renewed efforts from the
government to raise standards on animal welfare even further now
we are outside the EU, including taking steps
to end live animal exports and crack down on the
illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies, with further proposals to
improve standards and eradicate cruel practices expected to be
set out in the coming months.
You can respond to the eight-week consultation
by clicking here.
ENDS
Notes to
editors:
- For media enquires please contact newsdesk@defra.gov.uk or call 0345
051 8486 outside of office hours and ask for the duty press
officer.
- The consultation will go live at 9.30am on 12 December 2020
and will close on 6 February 2021.
- Animal welfare is a fully devolved matter.
-
As with any kept vertebrate animal It is
an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to keep a primate while
not providing for their welfare needs or to cause them
unnecessary suffering. Anyone breaking this law can face an
unlimited fine or a custodial sentence.
