Dangerous wild animal licence

When will I need a licence?

You will need a licence if you want to keep any animal specified under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (the Act). View a full list of the animals covered by the Act.

Penalties

If you keep an animal specified under the Act without a licence, or fail to comply with the licence conditions, you will be subject to a fine up to £2,000.

Conditions of the licence

1. Any animal kept under the authority of the licence:

• must be kept by the licence holder or other persons specified
• must be kept at the licensed premises
• should not be moved from the licensed premises, unless:
  • it is moved under safe and properly contolled conditions to the premises of a registered vet for treatment
  • it is moved to the premises of another licence holder who is licenced to keep that type of animal
• the licence holder has a valid insurance policy:
  • the policy must cover the licence holder (and any other person entitled to keep the animal) against liability for any damage that may be caused by the animal
  • the terms of the policy must be satifactory in the opinion of the licensing authority

2. The species and number of animals of each species must match the terms of the licence.

3. The licence holder must, at all reasonable times, make a copy of the licence available to any person entitled to keep any animal under the authority of the licence.

The conditions of your licence can be found on the application form.

Fees

A licence will cost £230 and last for two years. Your licence fee can be paid over the phone or by cheque. Contact us to make your payment.

Before we grant your licence your premises must be inspected by a registered vet. The fee for a vet inspection is not fixed. We charge based on such things as your site location and size of premises. We will invoice you for the cost of the visit to your premises. Once you have received the invoice you can pay it using our online payment service.

If you don't pay the invoice we may not issue your licence. If we have already issued a licence, then we may suspend or revoke your licence. 

How to apply

Before you start your application, you will need:

• your business details
• details of the animals you are looking after
• description of the accommodation 
• insurance and vet details

Licence renewal

You need to apply to renew an existing licence at least ten weeks prior to its expiry date. We will send you a reminder letter about renewal, and the fee amount, before your licence expires. You can pay the renewal fee by cheque or over the phone. If you fail to renew your licence and continue to operate as a business, you will be liable to the fines and penalties listed above.

How to change licence details

If you want to change any personal details on your licence (such as name or address), please send the details to us by email.