A new survey conducted by Born Free has revealed that nearly 4,000 dangerous wild animals are being privately kept in Great Britain – 109 of which are living in Wiltshire.

While it can be legal, the international wildlife charity is concerned that it is not safe for some of the world’s most deadly animals to live in unsuitable captive conditions, and it is dangerous to keep them as pets.

Born Free is now calling on the UK Government to immediately review the law and put a stop to the activity.

Local authorities in Wiltshire revealed that the licences granted cover 109 dangerous wild animals residing in the area, of which there are at least:

● 60 Bison

● 17 Wild boar

● 10 cats including Asian leopard cats, Ocelots and a Serval

● 7 primates including Ring-tailed lemurs and Red-fronted brown lemurs

● 4 European wolves

● 3 Bactrian camels

● 2 Asian short-clawed otters

● 6 venomous snakes including a King cobra, and a Wagler's pit viper.

Dr Mark Jones, Veterinarian and Born Free’s Head of Policy, said: “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.”

The worry is that it may be hard to keep a track of exactly how many dangerous pets are currently living in people’s homes, as some may be existing in them illegally.

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Mr Jones added: “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.”

The charity is calling for an overhaul of legislation and after a number of incidents which have resulted in pets causing serious harm to their owners, believe that now is the right time to do it.

Mr Jones said: “The UK likes to claim to be at the forefront of efforts to protect nature and improve the welfare of animals, yet our legislation governing the keeping of and trade in exotic pets is woefully outdated.”