A small crocodile sits submerged in water facing to the right of the image, with just the top of its head and eyes above the water

Dangerous Wild Animals: Is there one living near you?

Born Free’s 2023 survey reveals that over 2,700 dangerous wild animals are licensed to be kept privately in Great Britain (and there may be many more kept without a licence).

A map of Great Britain with counties coloured red or green

A total of 187 private addresses across 126 local authorities hold licences to keep dangerous wild animals such as lions, tigers, crocodilians and venomous reptiles!  

Red areas on the map indicate there is at least one dangerous wild animal held in that area, green areas do not have any licensed dangerous wild animals and grey areas did not respond to our information request.

Use the dropdown boxes below to find out which dangerous wild animals are licensed to be kept in your Local Authority. * 


* Figures provided by Local Authorities may represent the maximum number allowed on the licence, the minimum number, or the number in possession at the time of the data request. 

Is there a dangerous wild animal living near you?

Look for your county (England) or country (Scotland and Wales) in the list below, and expand to see if there are any dangerous wild animals in your Local Authority.

Local Authorities which are not listed, reported no licences.

Central Bedfordshire

  • Sri Lankan Green Pit Viper: 4
  • Eyelash Viper: 1
  • Green Bush Viper: 2
  • Western Pygmy Rattlesnake: 3
  • Banded Rock Rattlesnake: 4
  • Gila Monster: 1
  • Serval: 2

Luton

  • Variable Bush Viper: 9

West Berkshire

  • Arctic Wolf: 3
  • Northwestern Wolf: 4
  • Copperhead: 1
  • Cottonmouth: 1
  • West African Gaboon Viper: 1
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1

Windsor and Maidenhead

  • Grivet Monkey: 1
  • Weeper Capuchin: 1
  • Margarita Island Capuchin: 2
  • Hamadryas Baboon: 1
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 10
  • Crab Eating Macaque: 7
  • Long-Tailed Crab Eating Macaque: 1
  • Macaque Hybrid: 7

Wokingham

  • Arabian Oryx: 13

Bristol City

  • Rock Rattlesnake: 1
  • Berg Adder: 2
  • Sindh Saw-Scaled Viper: 1
  • Radde’s Viper: 1
  • Sahara Horned Viper: 2
  • Dwarf Caiman: 1
  • Spectacled Cobra: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1

Buckinghamshire

  • Blackbuck Antelope: 15
  • Sitatunga Antelope: 3
  • Red Ruffed Lemur: 2
  • Black and White Ruffed Lemur: 2
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 17
  • Ostrich: 132
  • Columbian White-Faced Capuchin: 3
  • Black-Capped Capuchin: 2

Milton Keynes

  • Black-Capped Capuchin Monkey: 2
  • Weeper Capuchin Monkey: 3

Fenland

  • Saki Monkey: 4

Cheshire East

  • Cheetah: 2
  • Dwarf Caiman: 2

Cheshire West and Chester

  • Wild Boar: 36
  • Lechwe: 2
  • Ostrich: 2
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 2
  • Spectacled Cobra: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1
  • Indochinese Spitting Cobra: 1
  • King Cobra: 1
  • Rinkhals Cobra: 1
  • Cape Coral Cobra: 2
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • South American Rattlesnake: 1
  • Rhino Viper: 1
  • West African Gaboon Viper: 2
  • Bush Viper: 1
  • White-Lipped Pit Viper: 1
  • Broad-Banded Copperhead: 2
  • Saw-Scaled Viper: 1
  • Brazilian Lancehead: 1
  • Gila Monster: 1
  • Beaded Lizard: 2
  • Spectacled Caiman: 1
  • Deathstalker Scorpion: 1
  • Fat Tail Scorpion: 1

Warrington

  • Serval: 2
  • Savannah Cat: 1

Cornwall

  • Ruffed Lemur: 13
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 15
  • Lynx: 4
  • Serval: 4
  • Asian Short-Clawed Otter: 4
  • Collared Brown Lemur: 2
  • Ocelot: 2
  • Fishing Cat: 2
  • Caracal: 2
  • Jaguarundi: 2
  • Camel: 4
  • Ostrich: 4

Durham

  • North American Plains Bison: 40

Hartlepool

  • Capuchin Monkey: 2

There are no dangerous wild animals licensed in this area.

Bolsover

  • Banded Rock Rattlesnake: 1
  • Western Diamond Rattlesnake: 1
  • Timber Rattlesnake: 1
  • Neotropical Rattlesnake: 1
  • Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Cottonmouth: 1
  • Arizona Black Rattlesnake: 1
  • Chinese Cobra: 1
  • Indian Cobra: 1
  • Snouted Cobra: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1
  • Forest Cobra: 1
  • King Cobra: 1
  • Southern Copperhead: 1
  • Taylor’s Cantil: 1
  • Pit Viper: 1
  • Gaboon Viper: 1
  • Horned Viper: 1
  • Black Necked Spitting Cobra: 1
  • Fer-de-Lance: 1
  • Russell’s Viper: 1
  • Palestine Viper: 1

Erewash

  • Asiatic Cobra: 3
  • Chinese Cobra: 2
  • Black-Tailed Rattlesnake: 2
  • Papuan Taipan: 1
  • Tropical Rattlesnake: 4
  • Rough Scaled Death Adder: 2
  • Blunt Nosed Viper: 4
  • Ottoman Viper: 1
  • Palestine Viper: 2
  • Sand Viper: 6
  • Coral Cobra: 2
  • West African Green Mamba: 2
  • Insular Tree Viper: 1
  • Bush Viper: 3
  • Levantine Viper: 2
  • Saw-Scaled Viper: 2
  • Beaded Lizard: 1

High Peak

  • Rio Fuerte Beaded lizard: 2
  • Gila Monster: 7
  • Ottoman Viper: 2
  • Florida Pygmy Rattlesnake: 2
  • Nose-Horned Viper: 2
  • Southern Nose-Horned Viper: 2
  • Asp Viper: 2
  • South Italian Asp Viper: 1
  • Transcaucasian Viper: 2

South Derbyshire

  • Serval: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 1

East Devon

  • Serval: 1

Mid Devon

  • Bactrian Camel: 2

Plymouth

  • Serval: 1
  • Eurasian Lynx: 1

South Hams

  • Serval: 2
  • Savannah Cat: 3

Teignbridge

  • Ostrich: 6

Torbay

  • Gila Monster: 5
  • Beaded Lizard: 2

Torridge

  • Adder: 1
  • Wild Boar: 3
  • Eurasian Lynx: 3

Dorset

  • Spectacled Caiman: 2

Wealden

  • Serval: 1
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 2
  • Black Lemur: 2

East Riding of Yorkshire

  • Common Brown Lemur: 10
  • Saki Monkey: 2
  • Red Ruffed Lemur: 2
  • Asian Short-Clawed Otter: 2

Kingston upon Hull

  • Montpellier Snake: 1
  • Green Bush Viper: 1
  • Cape Coral Snake: 1
  • Rock Rattlesnake: 1
  • Copperhead: 1
  • White-Lipped Pit Viper: 1
  • Eastern Pygmy Rattlesnake: 1
  • Indochinese Spitting Cobra: 2
  • Rhinoceros Viper: 2
  • Dwarf Caiman: 1
  • Serval: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1

Basildon

  • Capuchin Monkey: 2
  • Serval: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 1

Castle Point

  • Capuchin: 3
  • Mexican Beaded Lizard: 2
  • Gila Monster: 2
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 4

Chelmsford

  • Serval: 2
  • Black and White Ruffed Lemur: 2
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 4
  • African Civet: 2

Rochford

  • Ceylon Pit Viper: 2
  • Orlov’s Viper: 1
  • African Bush Viper: 1
  • Mangrove Cat Snake: 2
  • Long-Nosed Tree Snake: 1
  • Common Tiger Snake: 4

Cotswold

  • Ostrich: 60

South Gloucestershire

  • Chinese Alligator: 1
  • Ostrich: 1
  • Horned Viper: 1
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Banded Rock Rattlesnake: 1
  • Eyelash Viper: 2

Stroud

  • Venomous Snakes: 25

Croydon

  • Venomous Snakes: 20

Kensington and Chelsea

  • Savannah Cat: 1

Redbridge

  • Serval: 1

Richmond upon Thames

  • Savannah Cat: 2

Bury

  • Broad-Snouted Caiman: 1

Salford

  • Capuchin Monkey: 1
  • Lynx: 1

East Hampshire

  • Eurasian Lynx: 2
  • Margarita Island Capuchin: 2

Gosport

  • Dwarf Caiman: 1

Havant

  • West African Dwarf Crocodile: 1
  • Chinese Alligator: 37

New Forest

  • Wild Boar: 133

Portsmouth

  • White-Lipped Viper: 1
  • Western Diamond Back Rattlesnake: 1
  • Suphan Cobra: 2

Rushmoor

  • Przewalski’s Horse: 4

Winchester

  • Eurasian Lynx: 2
  • Gila Monster: 2
  • West African Dwarf Crocodile: 1

Herefordshire

  • Grant’s Zebra: 2
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 6
  • Serval: 6
  • Puma: 5
  • Lynx: 2

Dacorum

  • King Cobra: 1
  • Beaded Lizard: 1
  • Gila Monster: 3
  • American Alligator: 1
  • Chinese Spitting Cobra: 1
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Egyptian Cobra: 1
  • Snouted Cobra: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1
  • Brown Recluse Spider: 1
  • Spectacled Cobra: 2
  • Saw-Scaled Viper: 1
  • Copperhead Viper: 1

East Hertfordshire

  • Cheetah: 10
  • Alligator: 2
  • Wolf: 3

Hertsmere

  • Savannah Cat: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1
  • Indian Cobra: 1
  • Forest Cobra: 1
  • King Cobra: 1

North Hertfordshire

  • Amur Leopard: 2
  • Bobcat: 6
  • Caracal: 5
  • Clouded Leopard: 1
  • European Lynx: 4
  • Fishing Cat: 1
  • Jaguar: 1
  • Jaguarundi: 4
  • Puma: 10
  • Serval: 8
  • Snow Leopard: 1
  • Temminck’s Golden Cat: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 1
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 2

Watford

  • Zebra: 5
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 8
  • Mongoose Lemur: 6
  • Fossa: 2
  • Dwarf Crocodile: 2
  • Red Kangaroo: 10
  • Eastern Grey Kangaroo: 2
  • Dingo: 5
  • Ostrich: 3

There are no dangerous wild animals licensed in this area.

Canterbury

  • Caiman: 2
  • Savannah Cat: 6
  • Serval: 2

Dover

  • Tiger: 2
  • Amur Leopard: 1
  • Trans-Pecos Copperhead: 2
  • Cottonmouth: 2
  • Ornate Cantil: 1
  • Bush Viper: 1
  • Puff Adder: 4
  • East African Gaboon Viper: 2
  • Rhino Viper: 2
  • West African Gaboon Viper: 3
  • Eyelash Viper: 2
  • Terciopelo Pit Viper: 2
  • Common Lancehead: 2
  • Malayan Pit Viper: 3
  • Horned Desert Viper: 2
  • Sahara Sand Viper: 2
  • Eastern Diamond Rattlesnake: 2
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 4
  • Sidewinder: 2
  • North-Western Neotropical Rattlesnake: 2
  • Colombian Rattlesnake: 1
  • Guiana Rattlesnake: 2
  • Baja California Rattlesnake: 3
  • Timber Rattlesnake: 2
  • The Great Basin Rattlesnake: 2
  • Panamint Rattlesnake: 2
  • Black-Tailed Rattlesnake: 1
  • Southern Pacific Rattlesnake: 4
  • Speckled Rattlesnake: 2
  • Uracoan Rattlesnake: 2
  • Prairie Rattlesnake: 2
  • Eastern Green Mamba: 2
  • Jameson’s Mamba: 2
  • West African Green Mamba: 1
  • Sochurek’s Saw-Scaled Viper: 2
  • Painted Saw-Scaled Viper: 1

Maidstone

  • Plains Zebra: 1

Medway

  • Spectacled Caiman: 2

Thanet

  • Mozambique Spitting Cobra: 1
  • Gila Monster: 1
  • Mexican Beaded Lizard: 1
  • Gaboon Viper: 1
  • Serval: 2

Tonbridge and Malling

  • Asian Short-Clawed Otter: 2

Tunbridge Wells

  • White-Lipped Pit Viper: 3
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 2
  • African Bush Viper: 2
  • Mangrove Pit Viper: 1
  • Brown-Spotted Pit Viper: 1
  • Puff Adder: 2
  • Monocled Cobra: 3
  • Copperhead: 1
  • Gaboon Viper: 2
  • Desert Horned Viper: 2
  • King Cobra: 1
  • Eyelash Viper: 2

Chorley

  • Serval: 1

Fylde

  • No response

Ribble Valley

  • Ostrich: 3
  • Wild Boar: 100

West Lancashire

  • Ostrich: 2

Melton

  • Bison: 100
  • Bactrian Camel: 1
  • Serval: 1

North West Leicestershire

  • Bison: 1
  • Serval: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 1

East Lindsey

  • Ostrich: 6
  • Cougar: 2
  • Bobcat: 1
  • Lynx: 1

North Kesteven

  • Dwarf African Crocodile: 2

South Holland

  • Savannah Cat: 1
  • Spider Monkey: 2

South Kesteven

  • Capuchin Monkey: 6
  • Spider Monkey: 5
  • Mississippi Alligator: 1
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 2
  • Brown Lemur: 1
  • Cotton Top Tamarin: 2
  • Kinkajou: 3
  • Eurasian Lynx: 1
  • Bobcat: 1
  • Jungle Cat: 2
  • Asian Leopard Cat: 1
  • Serval: 1
  • Wolfdog: 2
  • Dwarf Caiman: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 3

There are no dangerous wild animals licensed in this area.

Breckland

  • Clouded Leopard: 2
  • Black and White Ruffed Lemur: 1

Broadland

  • Wild Boar: 1
  • Ostrich: 1

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk

  • Blackbuck: 25

North Norfolk

  • Camel: 2
  • Tapir: 3

South Norfolk

  • Savannah Cat: 2
  • Serval: 3

North Yorkshire

  • Bison: 10
  • Ostrich: 20
  • Capuchin Monkey: 1
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 3
  • Saltwater Crocodile: 1
  • American Alligator: 3
  • Spectacled Caiman: 5
  • Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman: 1

York

  • Savannah Cat: 1

North Northamptonshire

  • Bactrian Camel: 5
  • Ostrich: 18
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 12
  • Black Capped Capuchin: 1
  • Crab Eating Macaque: 5

West Northamptonshire

  • Red Lechwe: 8

There are no dangerous wild animals licensed in this area.

Bassetlaw

  • Zebra: 1
  • Ostrich: 17
  • Lemur: 6
  • Capuchin Monkey: 2

Broxtowe

  • White-Lipped Pit Viper: 2
  • Angolan Coral Snake: 2
  • Copperhead: 2
  • Monocled Cobra: 3
  • Prairie Rattlesnake: 1
  • Uracoan Rattlesnake: 1
  • Western Bush Viper: 1
  • Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard: 1
  • Lion: 4
  • Puma: 1
  • Tapir: 1
  • Asian Short-Clawed Otter: 2
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 2

West Oxfordshire

  • Wild Boar: 75
  • Lion: 6
  • Tiger: 4
  • Leopard: 4
  • Wolf: 5
  • Morelet’s Crocodile: 2
  • Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman: 1
  • Alligator: 1
  • Beaded Lizard: 2
  • Gila Monster: 1
  • Cobra: 1
  • Dromedary Camel: 2
  • Bactrian Camel: 4
  • Zebra: 4
  • Pygmy Hippo: 2
  • Rhesus Monkey: 8
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 10
  • Red Kangaroo: 8

There are no dangerous wild animals licensed in this area.

Shropshire

  • Wild Boar: 100
  • Wolf: 6
  • Camel: 5
  • Zebra: 3

Telford and Wrekin

  • Ocelot: 1

North Somerset

  • Grant’s Zebra: 4
  • Somali Wild Ass: 1
  • Somali Wild Ass/ Grant’s Zebra Hybrid: 1

Somerset

  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 7
  • Bactrian Camel: 4
  • Bobcat: 2
  • Wild Boar: 1

Rotherham

  • Bengal Cat: 1
  • Serval: 1

Sheffield

  • Dwarf Caiman: 1

Cannock Chase

  • Tiger: 1
  • Lion: 2

Staffordshire Moorlands

  • Bactrian Camel: 2

Stoke-on-Trent

  • Caiman Crocodile: 1
  • Western Rattlesnake: 1
  • Snouted Cobra: 1
  • King Cobra: 1

Babergh

  • Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman: 1

East Suffolk

  • Monocled Cobra: 1
  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Gaboon Viper: 1

Mid Suffolk:

  • Serval: 2

Elmbridge

  • Savannah Cat: 1
  • Serval: 1

Mole Valley

  • Gila Monster: 10
  • Mexican Beaded Lizard: 4
  • Nose-Horned Viper: 2
  • Transcaucasian Long-Nosed Viper: 2
  • Caucasus Viper: 2

Reigate and Banstead

  • Dwarf Crocodile: 2

North Tyneside

  • Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman: 2

Stratford-on-Avon

  • Camel: 26

There are no dangerous wild animals licensed in this area.

Arun

  • Broad-Snouted Caiman: 1

Chichester

  • Wild Boar: 120
  • Brazilian Tapir: 1
  • Red Panda: 1
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 2
  • Crowned Lemur: 3
  • Red Ruffed Lemur: 1
  • Collared Lemur: 2
  • White Collared Brown Lemur: 1
  • Red Bellied Lemur: 2
  • Mongoose Lemur: 1
  • Red Fronted Brown Lemur: 1
  • Black & White Ruff Lemur: 2
  • Black Lemur: 3

Horsham

  • Ostrich: 3

Calderdale

  • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake: 2
  • Mojave Rattlesnake: 1
  • Panamint Rattlesnake: 3
  • Aruba Island Rattlesnake: 2
  • Neotropical Rattlesnake: 1

Leeds

  • Savannah Cat: 1

Wakefield

  • Ostrich: 16

Wiltshire

  • Common Brown Lemur: 2
  • Collared Brown Lemur: 1
  • American Plains Bison: 47
  • Bactrian Camel: 3
  • Ocelot: 2
  • Asian Leopard Cat: 5
  • Serval: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 1
  • Wolf: 4
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur: 3
  • King Cobra: 1
  • Siamese Peninsular Pit Viper: 1
  • Pope’s Pit Viper: 1
  • Hagen’s Pit Viper: 1

Redditch

  • Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake: 2
  • Cape Coral Cobra: 2
  • Eyelash Viper: 2
  • Bush Viper: 2
  • Rhinoceros Viper: 2
  • Monocled Cobra: 2
  • Cuvier’s Caiman: 1

Wychavon

  • Red Diamond Rattlesnake: 7
  • Black-Tailed Rattlesnake: 2
  • Uracoan Rattlesnake: 1
  • Mexican Jumping Viper: 13
  • American Copperhead: 5
  • Mexican Beaded Lizard: 4
  • Sharp Nosed Viper: 2
  • Saharan Horned Viper: 1
  • Green Cat-Eyed Snake: 1
  • Fan-Si-Pan Horned Pit Viper: 1
  • Nose Horned Viper: 4
  • Brazilian Lancehead: 3
  • White-Lipped Pit Viper: 1
  • Pygmy Rattlesnake: 5

Aberdeen City

  • Diamondback Rattlesnake: 1
  • Monocled Cobra: 1

Aberdeenshire

  • Ostrich: 12
  • Bison: 3

Angus

  • Crocodilians & Gila Monsters: 11

Clackmannanshire

  • American Alligator: 2
  • Cuvier’s Caiman: 2
  • Broad-Snouted Caiman: 2
  • Spectacled Caiman: 4
  • Gila Monster: 4

Dumfries and Galloway

  • Camel: 4

East Ayrshire

  • Wild Boar: 31

Falkirk

  • Serval: 3
  • Savannah Cat: 10
  • Jaguarundi: 1

Fife

  • Savannah Cat: 1

Moray

  • Serval: 1
  • Savannah Cat: 3

Perth and Kinross

  • Bison: 8
  • Przewalski’s Horse: 4
  • Moufflon: 40

Bridgend

  • Wild Boar: 219

Carmarthenshire

  • Asian Elephant: 3

Denbighshire

  • Spider Monkey: 1
  • Bison: 30

Monmouthshire

  • Ostrich: 9
  • Bison: 10

Powys

  • Ostrich: 1

Swansea

  • Capuchin Monkey: 2
Close up of the head of a black tailed rattlesnake with its tongue out

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