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08/06/2005
Government announces public review on primate pets
Members of the public will be invited to have their say on keeping monkeys and other primates as pets, in a public consultation on the issue.
Biodiversity Minister Jim Knight is expected to announce the consultation at the launch of an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The IFAW report found that as many as 1,500 to 3,000 primates were being kept as pets in the UK, although the actual figure is unknown. The charity said that monkeys were unsuitable pets and were likely to suffer distress in ways similar to humans. It was “morally unjustifiable” to own such animals as pets, IFAW said.
The Minister said that government did not believe that primates were suitable for the general pet trade – currently, the import of primates is limited to specialist keepers, who must demosntrate that they are well equipped and experienced enough to care for the animals.
However, IFAW said that anyone could potentially purchase a monkey as a pet, by logging onto the Internet, looking through classified ads in specialist magazines or inquiring in pet shops.
Mr Knight said: “It is important that we have a sound evidence base as we formulate future policy on keeping monkeys and other primates as pets under European law and the IFAW report will make a valuable contribution to the dialogue as we review and develop our policy on this issue.”
However, the European regulations can only be applied for conservation purposes and could not be used to address animal health or welfare.
The minister said that the proposed Animal Welfare Bill, which was mentioned during the Queen’s speech at the opening of Parliament, would place a duty of care on all animal keepers and include new powers to introduce further regulations for animal welfare reasons.
Mr Knight said that Bill would “set the framework for the law of governing pets for many years to come”. He said: “The extended duty to promote animal welfare will mean all domestic or captive animals must be cared for in accordance with best animal management practices.”
(KMcA/SP)
Biodiversity Minister Jim Knight is expected to announce the consultation at the launch of an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The IFAW report found that as many as 1,500 to 3,000 primates were being kept as pets in the UK, although the actual figure is unknown. The charity said that monkeys were unsuitable pets and were likely to suffer distress in ways similar to humans. It was “morally unjustifiable” to own such animals as pets, IFAW said.
The Minister said that government did not believe that primates were suitable for the general pet trade – currently, the import of primates is limited to specialist keepers, who must demosntrate that they are well equipped and experienced enough to care for the animals.
However, IFAW said that anyone could potentially purchase a monkey as a pet, by logging onto the Internet, looking through classified ads in specialist magazines or inquiring in pet shops.
Mr Knight said: “It is important that we have a sound evidence base as we formulate future policy on keeping monkeys and other primates as pets under European law and the IFAW report will make a valuable contribution to the dialogue as we review and develop our policy on this issue.”
However, the European regulations can only be applied for conservation purposes and could not be used to address animal health or welfare.
The minister said that the proposed Animal Welfare Bill, which was mentioned during the Queen’s speech at the opening of Parliament, would place a duty of care on all animal keepers and include new powers to introduce further regulations for animal welfare reasons.
Mr Knight said that Bill would “set the framework for the law of governing pets for many years to come”. He said: “The extended duty to promote animal welfare will mean all domestic or captive animals must be cared for in accordance with best animal management practices.”
(KMcA/SP)
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