DWA without a licence

[Athravan]

There may be some appeal to people keeping these animals illegally but most keepers when faced with the harsh reality of the penalites will realise it is not worth the risk - legally, even if they decide it is worth the risk to safety.

I am not sure if it set by the council or UK wide but there is a fine of £2000 set by my council. You can be prosecuted and may be banned from keeping pets, or reptiles - and can receive a conviction that may stop you from be able to even apply for a DWA or a pet shop license in the future.

Furthermore the law allows the local council to seize & destroy any animals found to be kept without the correct licensing. You could be putting an animals life in risk if a council decided the best thing for the public would be for the animal to be destroyed. Many councils will of course try to rehome where appropriate but legally they do not have to, the animal can be disposed of as they think fit.

It would be a sad day if dwa reptiles were taken and destroyed simply because the owner chose to keep them without a license. Is that really a risk worth taking?

Even if the license fee was what some people consider extortionate, ie. over £1000 - a fine of £2000 is a lot more so again, consider it in that view and it makes sense to get a license. But the majority of councils cost less than £500 including the vet visit.

Perhaps if you pass this information on to the person who is keeping without a license they may realise it's quite serious and work towards applying one, or find the animal a licensed home.

[lhreptiles]

To be fair Tamz I would report this chap as it shows that he has no understanding of the animal he is keeping.
It is always a hard decsion wether or not to report someone who owns dwa with no license as I have known someone in the past that has kept a dwa animal without the license. Would I report him? it's hard to say as like many people on here have said if they are doing it properly and show that they know what there doing and are not being a muppet then why report them.

I myself will be looking to get a dwa license once I have bought a house and it does piss me off that people have these animals without a license so if they are abusing it then I do say report them.

[mrcarlxx]

may i ask. why do you have to pay for a DWAL, is there some service they provide eg anti venom?..what is it you pay for? what do you get out of it?

[Athravan]

Originally Posted by mrcarlxx

may i ask. why do you have to pay for a DWAL, is there some service they provide eg anti venom?..what is it you pay for? what do you get out of it?

You have access to the council who ensure that health & safety is observed, you get a certificate that legally allows you to buy, keep and sell the DWA animals specified. Presumabley the fees go towards the council's cost for having to inspect and declare you a competent and safe environment for the dangerous animal. You also have to pay a vets fee for the vet who inspects.

I believe anti-venom is covered under the NHS? You cannot keep the anti venom yourself, you have to be airlifted or ambulanced to one of the hospitals (I think it might only be one now?) in the UK that stocks anti-venom where you'll be treated by doctors under the NHS as far as I'm aware so you don't have to pay extra if you get bitten.

[mrcarlxx]

Originally Posted by Athravan

You have access to the council who ensure that health & safety is observed, you get a certificate that legally allows you to buy, keep and sell the DWA animals specified. Presumabley the fees go towards the council's cost for having to inspect and declare you a competent and safe environment for the dangerous animal. You also have to pay a vets fee for the vet who inspects.

I believe anti-venom is covered under the NHS? You cannot keep the anti venom yourself, you have to be airlifted or ambulanced to one of the hospitals (I think it might only be one now?) in the UK that stocks anti-venom where you'll be treated by doctors under the NHS as far as I'm aware so you don't have to pay extra if you get bitten.

so you pretty much have to pay for a bloke in a hi viz jacket to come to your home and say 'put another lock on that me sun' and then they leave you alone until the next inspection.......yeah thats sounds well worth spending £1500 .....i have a better idea....dont buy anything dwa

[mythicdawn07]

its got nothing to do with me what pets people keep and i wouldnt report someone over a piece of paper they are missing, That doesnt mean they are bad pet owners.

[Oliver Dodds]

Its ok, natural selection should sort everything out

[mrcarlxx]

Originally Posted by mythicdawn07

its got nothing to do with me what pets people keep and i wouldnt report someone over a piece of paper they are missing, That doesnt mean they are bad pet owners.

yeah thats what i am thinking, i think they should be registerd but i dont believe that people have to pay up to £1500 to own one!...

how often do you have to pay this bill then? is it a once yearly thing or do you only ever pay it once?

[xxstaggyxx]

once yearly you have to pay to get the DWAL renewed

[Athravan]

The last proposed changes said it was proposed to be changing to every 3 years, but these haven't come into effect yet.