A Tangled Web

Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!



East Belfast MLA, Naomi Long, is delighted about the extension of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act to Northern Ireland. The Act was introduced in the rest of the United Kingdom in 1976, but was omitted from legislation pertaining to Ulster. Consequently, the Province is littered with dwellings housing wild cats, tigers, lions, alligators, komodo dragons, and the like in highly unsuitable conditions.



I won't linger too long on the sanity of the situation. Needless to say anyone who keeps a 10-foot alligator as a pet is an anchovy short of a full pizza. I mean, what earthly pleasure can someone derive from keeping a man-eating reptile in bathtub? An alligator would not drench you face with dribble, or fetch the morning newspaper from the letterbox, like a dog would; it would not purr contentedly around your feet like a cat can; and it would most certainly not tell you to 'bugger off' like my next door neighbour's pet parrot frequently does. It would just lie, seemingly moribund, in a pool of stagnant water, until some idiot decided to stroke its head affectionately - and thus lose an arm in the process.



Now, that's quite enough silliness for one blog. On a more serious note, the Act is designed as much to protect the animals as their owners. People wishing to keep creatures stipulated in the legislation must apply for a licence from their local authority. When granting such licences, the authority in question must be sure the owner will adhere to certain fundamentals. These are:



'1. A requirement that the animal be kept only by a person or persons named on the licence.

2. Restrictions on the movement of the animal from the premises as specified on the licence.

3. A requirement that the licence holder has a current insurance policy which insures both the licence holder and others against any liability caused by the animal. '



The Dangerous Wild Animals Act was originally introduced in Parliament as a Private Members Bill. Since them it has proved an effective deterrent to animal cruelty across Great Britain. The authorities in Northern Ireland should be as keen to enforce its remit there also.