It’s a Jungle Out There
By Emma Wall
BARMY Brits are keeping hundreds of wild animals as pets.
A wildlife group found 12 lions, 14 tigers and 50 leopards in Britain.
And dozens more exotic cats and almost 500 monkeys, 2,000 ostriches, 250 poisonous snakes and 50 crocodiles are in private zoos.
Powerful
Mark Fraser, of the Big Cats in Britain group, said: “Owning a big cat or another exotic animal is becoming increasingly popular.
“The owners do not need to be trained in how to handle their pet, so they have to get used to dealing with powerful big cats through trial and error. However, to my knowledge, there have been no accidents involving licensed pet owners and their big cats.”
But the BCIB say that some big cats are kept in secret and let out in the wild to hunt. And they estimate there are more than 300 American bison and 6,000 wild boar roaming the country.
Mark added: “More and more exotic animals are being seen in the British countryside today, making it an interesting place to be.”
Earlier this year Natalie Cox, 27, applied for permission to keep leopards and serval cats at her Glasgow home.
“I don’t know what all the fuss about,” she said.
Daily Star: 28th December 2006
