Call for evidence outcome

Welfare of primates as pets in England: call for evidence

This call for evidence has closed

Download the full outcome

Summary of responses and way forward

Detail of outcome

We received 215 responses to this call for evidence. These were made up of 119 individual responses and 96 campaign responses.

Following the call for evidence, the government will take forward a public consultation on the welfare of primates as pets.


Original call for evidence

Summary

Seeking evidence on the welfare of pet primates in England.

This call for evidence ran from
to

Call for evidence description

We’re asking for evidence to understand more about the welfare of pet primates in England. This includes the numbers and species of primates being kept as pets, and the potential effect any restrictions would have on their welfare. This includes all species commonly referred to as lemurs, monkeys and apes.

In particular, we’d like to know more about:

  • the number and types of pet primates
  • how they are acquired and kept
  • whether the current Code of Practice is sufficient to ensure the welfare of pet primates
  • what the effects of any restrictions would be on primate welfare
  • how any restrictions might be enforced, and any exemptions that should be considered
  • the potential impact of restrictions on rescue centres and animal welfare charities

Documents

Published 25 October 2019
Last updated 12 December 2020 + show all updates
  1. We've added the summary of responses to the call for evidence.

  2. First published.