Camels, leopards and 60 bison are among the more than 100 dangerous wild animals being kept privately in Wiltshire, according to a wildlife charity.
A survey conducted by Born Free, which campaign against animal exploitation, found a staggering 3,951 dangerous wild animals are licensed to be kept privately in Great Britain, including elephants, lions and crocodiles.
The charity recorded 109 such animals in Wiltshire, including 17 boar, 60 bison, four wolves, two ocelots, three camels, five leopards, seven lemurs, three rare cobras, three rare vipers, a Bengal cat and a Savannah cat.
In neighbouring South Gloucestershire, ten more venomous snakes and a Chinese alligator are being housed, and in Stroud four King Cobras and an otter were reported.
In Berkshire, ten wolves were recorded by Born Free and in Bristol they reported a spectacled cobra, monocled cobra and a dwarf caiman.
Licences are not needed for animals kept in zoos, circuses, pet shops and places registered under the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876 for the purpose of performing.
Founded by Virginia McKenna OBE, Will Travers OBE and Bill Travers MBE in 1984, Born Free work to stop the exploitation and suffering of animals living in captivity or the wild.
Born Free supports the work of wildlife rescue centres and sanctuaries in the UK to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned wild animals.
In order to obtain a dangerous animals licence in Wiltshire the licence must not be contrary to public interest, safety, nuisance or other grounds and the applicant must be a ‘suitable person.’ The animal must be kept in accommodation that prevents escape and is suitable in respect of construction, size, temperature, drainage, cleanliness and exercise.
They must be supplied with adequate and suitable food drink and bedding and be visited at suitable intervals.
Appropriate steps must be taken to ensure the protection of the animal in an emergency and to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
An initial licence costs £250 and renewal costs £180.
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