Exotic pet ownership surges in UK with more than 300 big cats living in homes

Daily Mirror

05-07-2025

The Ark Rescue sanctuary in Lincolnshire is one of several places picking up the pieces after exotic pet purchases go wrong, while experts warn UK legislation needs to be tightened up to protect species
New movies and TV shows are driving a surge in exotic pet ownership, but then are turfed out after people realise they can't cope with their complex needs, it's been claimed.
More than 300 dangerous, large cats are living across the UK, according to the Born Free Foundation. Many are in regular homes, with owners who don't have zoo licences.
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Jamie Mintram, who runs The Ark wildlife sanctuary near Boston, Lincolnshire, also blamed social media for fuelling the new craze, while saying that movies can unwittingly made some species sought-after.
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He said: 'The demand now is for exotic wildcats which is being driven by posts on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. We saw the trend really kick-off after that horrible documentary Tiger King came out in the first lockdown.
"When people realise they can't get a lion or a tiger in the UK, they look for the closest thing and we've had a lot of cases of wild cats such as serval and lynx cats being bought on a whim.
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'But these are exotic wild animals with complex needs and have wrongly been nicknamed house cheetahs. People buy them to show off on social media and to have something different to brag about. But these cats are much bigger than a regular cat.
"They're not cuddly and don't want to snuggle on the sofa. When people realise they don't make ideal pets, they get dumped.'
Jamie, who started by taking in abandoned reptiles, said adverts like Compare the Market were responsible for a surge in ownership in Meerkats. Foxes, wallabies and jungle cats have also been seized or abandoned by British owners.
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Residents include Flerken, a savannah cat deemed too wild to be kept as a pet. She is a cross between an African wildcat and a domestic breed - seized by Border Force officers after being illegally imported into the UK nearly five years ago. Jamie says the breed, which can grow up to three times the size of a domestic cat, can fetch between £16,000 - £20,000.
Another rescue is African serval wild cat Anubis who was given up by the family he lived with in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
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A quick search on the website Preloved shows how easy it is to buy savannah kittens, alongside meerkats, skunks and sugar gliders, a nocturnal possum that inhabit the forests of Australia and New Guinea. Earlier this year six were dumped outside a Lidl supermarket in West Lothian, Scotland.
Chris Lewis, Born Free's Captivity Research and Policy Manager said, "Currently, it is far too easy for people to impulsively buy almost any wild animal as a pet.
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Often animals are bought and sold as novelties after being depicted as 'cute' or 'unusual' on social media, tv shows or in movies, with potential owners having little knowledge of the complex needs they have.
'Current legislation can't keep up with the ever changing trends and demands for wild animals as pets and fails to protect the animals sadly caught up in this trade. The legislation which governs the keeping and selling of wild animals as pets needs urgent review.
Born Free would also like to see the introduction of permitted lists, as adopted by a number of other countries, which aim to ensure only species whose welfare can be met in a domestic setting are allowed to be kept as pets."
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It would seem sensible to presume that purchasing a big cat in the UK it is not possible. But according to figures from Born Free in 2021 there are 11 lions, eight tigers, 11 leopards, 18 pumas, 10 cheetahs, two ligers and one jaguar .50 years on from the DWA Act being introduced to discourage the fashion for interesting pets, it is perfectly legal for private collectors to own a cat as big as a lion. All you need is the approval of your local council.
Arthur Thomas, FOUR PAWS UK Public Affairs advisor said: "These majestic wild animals, big or small, have complex physical, psychological, and social needs that cannot be met in a home environment.
Sadly, the craze for adding a wild animal to your family has been made more accessible because of social media. FOUR PAWS has campaigned for greater protections for all animals and believes that a ban on the sale of animals on social media sites would be a step in the right direction to ensure animal welfare is protected.
Ultimately, we should look to move to a Positive List model, as just been approved by EU Parliament, that would significantly restrict the keeping of wild animals in the UK. Animals should never be a status symbol and we hope that this is merely a cruel trend, and one that passes quickly."