Luton named UK's fifth top spot for keeping exotic and dangerous animals as pets

Luton has been named as the UK's fifth top spot for keeping exotic and dangerous animals as pets.
Luton has been named fifth top spot for keeping exotic petsLuton has been named fifth top spot for keeping exotic pets
Luton has been named fifth top spot for keeping exotic pets

The study from money.co.uk conducted FOI requests to reveal where in the country exotic pets are being kept, as well as the most commonly held species of exotic animal.

Many of the councils across the UK reported they received no applications, but below are the ones which received the most applications in the last five years:

> 1 - Aberdeen - 106 exotic animals held;

> 2 - Islington - 17 exotic animals held;

> 3 - Telford - 11 exotic animals held;

> 4 - Kingston upon Hull - 10 exotic animals held;

> 5 - Luton - 9 exotic animals held;

> 6 - Huddersfield / Stoke on Trent (joint place) - 6 exotic animals held;

> 8 - Milton Keynes - 5 exotic animals held;

> 9 - Portsmouth - 4 exotic animals held;

> 10 - Bristol - 3 exotic animals held.

The study revealed that nine green bush vipers are being kept in Luton as pets, accounting for all of the registered exotic animals in the borough.

The green bush viper is native to west and central Africa and, as with all vipers, has a venomous bite, which is why you need a licence to keep one in the UK.

Elsewhere, Aberdeen is home to over 100 dangerous and exotic animals, far more than any other area, largely due to one collection of 100 Buthidae scorpions.

The Shropshire town of Telford, boasts two ocelots, as well as various species of spiders and scorpions.

Kingston upon Hull, also has seven applications to hold various types of snake, as well as a Cuvier's dwarf caiman (crocodile).

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