Dangerous Wild Animals Act

[Chris Newman]

Finally some movement on the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, the draft Statutory Instrument has just been laid before Parliament. It contains proposed additions and deletions to those species requiring of a licence under the Act. The draft SI is numbered 1437 and was laid before Parliament on 14 May 2007.

The SI has been laid in draft form in both Houses and will be looked at by separate committees in both. In the Commons the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments will be doing a technical scrutiny of the SI (ie is the SI correctly worded and being taken forward under correct legislation) and in the Lords the House of Lords Select Committee on the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee will be looking at the
policy issues contained therein. The Instrument cannot be made if disapproved by either House (within 40 days) and Members can introduce a negative resolution or a "prayer" if they are not happy with the content. If a Member does table a motion against the Order this could lead to a debate in the House.

While technically the SI has to lay for 40 days, if no reservation have been made within 14 days it will pass. The new schedule will 'hopefully' come into effect on October 1st 2007. Now all we have to do is push DEFRA into issuing some strong guidance to Local Authorities on implementing the wretched thing!

The following animals are no longer listed in the Schedule and so the provisions of the Act no longer apply to them:

certain smaller primates (woolly lemurs, tamarins, night (or owl) monkeys, titis and squirrel monkeys), sloths, the North American porcupine, the capybara, crested porcupines; cacomistles, racoons, coatis, olingoes, the little coatimundi, kinkajou, binturong, cat hybrids which are predominantly domestic cat, hyraxes, guanaco, vicuna, emus, sand snakes, mangrove snakes, and the Brazilian wolf spiders

The additions are:

Dingo Canis familiaris dingo

Argentine Black-headed snake Elapomorphus lemniscatus,
South American green racer Philodryas olfersii,
Peruvian racer Tachymenis peruviana,
Amazon false viper Xenodon severus.

Middle eastern thin-tailed scorpion Hemiscorpius sp.

[Nerys]

blimey, thats a lot of mammalian movement...

N

[Nerys]

chris, to clarify..

does this mean that, for instance, as of october mangroves are off ?

or are they off from now on?

and is that for definite, or could it be changed in the mean time?

N

[Chris Newman]

Technically Mangroves will remain on the DWAA until October 1st when the new schedule comes into effect. However, this could change if the SI is opposed by a MP or a Lord. If this happens then it COULD result in a debate in parliament which could result in the current proposals being overturned. This is not very likely but it could happen, fingers crossed and lets hope that after 7 years of review this process is finally concluded.

[Nerys]

indeed !

ta for quick response

N

[Art_Gecko101]

Damn and there was me hoping for a ban on primates... Oh well.

[TBUK]

Originally Posted by Art_Gecko101

Damn and there was me hoping for a ban on primates... Oh well.

Why were you hoping for a ban?

[ratboy]

Originally Posted by Art_Gecko101

Damn and there was me hoping for a ban on primates... Oh well.

What has DWA got to do with bans ?

[Nerys]

What has DWA got to do with bans ?

burger all as far as i know?

N

[Art_Gecko101]

sorry just meant that i dont think any primates should really be kept as pets, let alone not even requiring a DWA. Just my opinion but i think that unless you can provide them with a social community of same species animals then they will be mentally stunted and almost all normal households wouldnt be able to provude that. Thats why places such as Monkey world have done such a good job rescuing 'pet' primates that have gone wrong.