Latest news with #DangerousWildAnimalsAct
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man Fined After Police Officers Discover a Pet Alligator Called Cliff Living in His Backyard
A man in England has been fined for keeping a pet alligator called Cliff in his backyard. According to BBC News, Ashley Betts, from Rotherham, kept the 4-foot reptile in a tank at the back of his home for a year before police discovered it in July 2024. Betts, 32, claimed he did not know a special license was needed to keep exotic creatures like Cliff. He pleaded guilty to breaching the Dangerous Wild Animals Act at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, March 12, per the outlet. He was ordered to pay nearly $1,300 in fines. The U.K.'s Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which includes alligators, states that "no person shall keep any dangerous wild animal except under the authority of a license granted in accordance with the provisions of this Act by a local authority." According to BBC News, Cliff is now living in a temporary home in a park in Liverpool. The court heard that Betts hopes to get Cliff back by gaining the appropriate license required to keep the gator. Related: 8-Foot Alligator Caught on Camera Roaming Florida Neighborhood and Causing Chaos on Pizza Route Betts reportedly kept Cliff in a special outbuilding and tank, which police discovered after visiting Betts' house for a different reason. Local media outlet Sheffield Star reported that the 32-year-old said he got the alligator from a friend. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Betts was not charged with animal cruelty, and the court said there was "no suggestion" the animal was being kept in poor conditions or in a way that was unsafe for the public, per BBC News. PEOPLE reached out to South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Magistrates' Court for comment. Related: Shop Shocked to Find a 'Massive' Python Digesting a Big Meal in the Middle of the Business This comes after authorities confiscated a deer that a Pennsylvania woman had been keeping as a pet earlier this year, as previously reported by PEOPLE. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission and CBS News affiliate KDKA News, Tammy Shiery said that she and several members of her neighborhood had raised the 2-year-old deer — whom they named Baby — ever since they found him as a fawn. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Shiery, 64, of Fayette County, said that she believed she had all of the necessary paperwork to legally keep Baby as a pet and that the animal has received all of the same vaccines that are required for deer on deer farms. However, Pennsylvania law states that deer can only be kept as domestic pets if they were born in captivity, which was not the case for Baby. Read the original article on People
The Independent
14-03-2025
- The Independent
UK man fined for keeping a pet alligator named Cliff in his back garden
A UK man who kept a pet alligator over a metre long in his back garden has been fined by a magistrate for keeping the exotic pet. Ashley Betts, 32, from Rotherham, pleaded guilty to breaching the Dangerous Wild Animals Act at Sheffield Magistrates Court on Wednesday. According to the BBC, he kept the alligator, called Cliff, in a tank in his back garden for a year. Betts was fined £333, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £132 and £468 in costs. The BBC has reported that Betts claimed he did not know he needed a special licence to keep exotic creatures, although he hoped to gain one to get Cliff back. Police discovered the large reptile at his Rotherham home in July 2024. He reportedly kept Cliff in a special outhouse and tank before the alligator was confiscated. The creature has been moved to a temporary home 70 miles away at a park in Liverpool. Betts was not prosecuted for any cruelty to the alligator. There was also 'no suggestion' the animal was kept in poor conditions or in a way that presented a danger to others, the BBC reported. When asked where he got the creature, Betts said he received it from a friend, according to the Sheffield Star. While a four-foot alligator may stick out in the UK, male American alligators can grow up to 4.6 metres in length and weigh up to 500kg. They typically live in marshes and swamps in south-eastern United States and north-eastern Mexico.
BBC News
13-03-2025
- BBC News
Rotherham man fined for keeping pet alligator called Cliff in garden
A man who kept a 4ft (1.2m) pet alligator called Cliff in a tank in his back garden for a year has been fined. Ashley Betts claimed he did not know a special licence was needed to keep exotic creatures after police discovered the large reptile at his Rotherham home. The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to breaching the Dangerous Wild Animals Act at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was told to pay nearly £1,000 in fines. Betts, of Carlyle Court, Maltby, now hopes to get Cliff, who has been moved to a temporary home 70 miles away, back by gaining the appropriate licence, the court heard. He was not prosecuted for any cruelty to the American alligator and the court said there was "no suggestion" the animal was being kept poorly or in a way that was unsafe to other asked where he got the creature, Betts said he received it from a friend but declined to elaborate, according to the Sheffield Star. Male American alligators can grow to measure up to 15ft (4.6m) in length and weigh up to 1,100lb (500kg). They are considered apex predators and typically live in marshes and swamps in south-eastern United States and north-eastern Mexico and feed on fish, other reptiles, birds and reportedly kept Cliff in a special outhouse and tank but the confiscated creature is currently being housed at a park in Liverpool. Police discovered the beast in July 2024 after visiting Betts' house for a different matter, the court heard. Betts was fined £333, ordered to pay a £133 surcharge and £468 in to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
