There’s more chance of living next door to a snake in Croydon than in any other part of the country.
Poisonous neighbours: figures show 20 dangerous snakes, like this green mamba, registered at homes in Croydon
Yep: not just your common or garden poisonous neighbour, but a full-on, potentially deadly, venomous snake could be living on your street, as Croydon is one of the areas with most dangerous animals registered in this country.
According to research published today by the Born Free Foundation, the international wildlife charity, Croydon has at least 20 highly dangerous snakes registered at residential homes in the borough, being kept entirely legally as “pets”.
Born Free found that in 2023 more than 2,700 dangerous wild animals were being kept privately in Great Britain under licences permitted by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. This number includes more than 200 wild cats, 250 primates and 400 venomous snakes.
Born Free’s statistics show that while Croydon has its snakes, posh boroughs Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond upon Thames have exotic, but potentially dangerous, savannah cats (two of them in Richmond). Surrey, too, shows a liking for savannah cats, as well as quite a collection of lizards, reptiles and amphibians. Reigate and Banstead, where Coulsdon Tory councillor Mario Creatura lives, has a pair of dwarf crocodiles registered.
Collared up: Servals are beautiful wild cats. They are not suitable as pets
Born Free has also found cheetahs in Cheshire, caiman in Kent and lynx in Lincolnshire.
The full regional data, collected from local authorities, is available to view on Born Free’s “Dangerous Wild Animals Map”.
“The staggering fact that there are nearly three thousand wild creatures classified as dangerous under UK law being kept as ‘pets’ across Britain is of great concern,” according to Born Free.
“The keeping of such animals threatens the safety of people and other animals, and results in considerable suffering. Unlike domesticated animals, which have been bred over generations to live alongside humans, these wild animals have complex needs which cannot be met by a life in captivity. As a result, these, often threatened, creatures can suffer poor health and psychological damage.
“Increased demand for exotic ‘pets’ also puts pressure on wild populations of many already threatened species.”
Official lists: Born Free’s figures are simply those that are officially registered. There’s a suspicion than many wild and dangerous animals kept as ‘pets’ are not registered
Born Free don’t say so, but their figures are based on officially registered dangerous animals: given the smuggling of wild animals and the black market in their sale, it is very likely that the official figures don’t even come close to the full extent or scale of the issue, and suffering.
Born Free says that keeping many of these animals in captivity “… in stressful, unnatural, confined environments, can potentially make them more dangerous”.
And they also warn: “There are also major concerns about the possible transmission of zoonotic diseases from animals to humans.”
There’s another worry: the responsibility for maintaining records and keeping a check on wild animals kept in suburbia rests with… local councils. Including Croydon’s cash-strapped council.
“Disturbingly, Born Free also discovered that some councils are unaware of the exact species of animal being kept, despite a requirement to identify this within the legislation, which raises further serious animal welfare, and health and safety, concerns,” the charity said..
Born Free has been campaigning to protect the welfare of exotic wild animals kept as “pets” since 2005 and has regularly monitored the scale of dangerous wild animal ownership. “The research released today shows that it remains a huge issue that urgently needs addressing,” they say.
Born Free is calling on the Government to review the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.
The charity is asking the public to join them in campaigning for change by writing to their MP using this form to demand improved regulation that will ensure far greater restrictions on the trade in, and keeping of, wild animals as “pets” in the UK.
They say that the country needs better legislation which fully considers:
- Whether individual animal welfare needs can be fully met, and owners have the necessary qualifications and experience and can provide the right environment to meet those needs
- Whether the trade is likely to compromise the conservation of species in the wild
- Potential environmental concerns, such as the escape of potentially invasive species
- Risks to public and animal health and safety, including the spread of zoonotic diseases
“Dangerous animals are not ‘pets’ to be kept by private owners, but wild creatures that deserve protection and to live as nature intended,” Born Free said today.
Dr Mark Jones, Born Free’s head of policy, said, “It is unbelievable that, in this day and age, so many dangerous animals, including big cats, large primates, crocodiles and venomous snakes, continue to be legally kept in people’s homes in the UK.
“Increasing demand for and the trade in all kinds of wild animals as exotic pets puts owners and the wider public at risk of injury or disease. It also results in serious animal suffering, and the demand increases the pressure on many wild populations which are often already under threat.
“Our legislation governing the keeping of and trade in exotic pets is woefully outdated. The Dangerous Wild Animals Act should be overhauled as a matter of urgency, in order to phase out the private keeping of those species that clearly don’t belong in people’s homes.”
Listen here to our Under The Flyover podcast interview with Will Travers the President of the Born Free Foundation, which works tirelessly to preserve the habitats of wildlife and protect species around the world.
Here, Inside Croydon speaks to Travers about his work in wildlife conservation, the movie careers of his parents, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, and the global inequalities inherent in the climate emergency.
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