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Dangerous and wild animals kept in county
Venomous snakes, lemurs and a herd of wild boar are some of the dangerous wild animals kept in the county.
Three people hold licences under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, 1976, in Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire, the Evening Telegraph can reveal.
One exotic pet owner in East Northamptonshire keeps three ring tailed lemurs, two black capped capuchins and four crab-eating macaques, while another has a licence for 30 wild boar.
In Wellingborough one person has a licence to keep two venomous snakes.
And these could be followed by lions, tigers and crocodiles if government plans to relax the law go through.
Under proposals to change the Dangerous Wild Animals Act owners would only need to get a licence every two years and would have their premises inspected less often.
Currently no-one may keep any dangerous wild animal without first obtaining a licence from their local authority.
The licensing inspector must be satisfied that the applicant is a suitable person to hold a licence, the animal will be kept in appropriate accommodation with suitable food, drink and bedding, and the applicant is not disqualified or has been convicted under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.
Anybody found guilty of keeping an animal covered by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 without a licence to do so or anybody found guilty of failing to comply with any licence condition could receive a 2,000 fine.
Sophie Wilkinson from the east region RSPCA said: "With any kind of exotic animal the licencing is important to make sure that they were not captured from the wild and were bred in captivity.
"We would want people to go into it with their eyes open. The right sort of care is important.
"With exotic animals like reptiles they take them on without doing the research.
"It often ends up with the animal being unwanted or abandoned."
Things that potential owners need to consider include how big the animal will grow, what kind of care they need, their food needs and what kind of environment they should be kept in.
There are no licence holders in either Kettering or Corby.
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Weather for Kettering
Monday 13 February 2012
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