Privately kept primates could be at risk after bill is axed

A leading expert in exotic animal health has condemned the Government’s axing of the Kept Animals Bill as it puts privately kept primates at risk.

The bill would have introduced higher standards of animal welfare across the UK, and given local authorities greater powers to enforce welfare improvements of all kept animals, including pets and those kept in zoos.

It would also have delivered the Conservative party’s 2019 commitments to ban the keeping of primates as pets, as well as end the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter, and tackle puppy smuggling.

Different ways

But in an announcement to the House of Commons last week, environment minister Mark Spencer said measures would now be delivered in different ways. The bill had been due to expire on 8 June.

International wildlife expert and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) wildlife health specialist Matt Hartley was one of the authors of the Code of Practice for Privately Kept Primates, which was the first step in a long process on having legislation to protect primates.

Dr Hartley said: “’We felt that the updated licensing regime would have provided a range of tools to address welfare issues in primates when identified.

“The licensing inspections would allow those who do house primates privately to demonstrate the high standards of health and welfare that can be achieved with support from expert professionals.

“It is unfortunately too common that privately kept primates are subjected to poor conditions and I have personally worked on the rehabilitation of monkeys kept in horrendous conditions in the UK.”

Alternative routes

Six marmosets were rescued from being kept in a parrot cage in 2022 – three of them so emaciated they later died. The remaining three are now housed in a large enclosure at Fife Zoo.

Dr Hartley added: “We hope that officials and ministers are able to find alternative routes to improving the standards of privately kept primates and exotic animals, such as with statutory instruments or adding primate licensing to the 2018 Animal Welfare regulations framework.

“Without further regulations it is possible that privately kept monkeys are at risk of being subjected to standards much poorer than those offered at good zoos.”

He said revision of the zoo licensing regime would have created best practice, with revised standards supporting zoo inspectors and local authorities to take more robust compliance action and “increased the expectations of zoos to deliver conservation impact”.