Episode Details

Scotland’s backyard wildlife is getting seriously wild — with ostriches, wild boars, camels, and even venomous snakes like Gila Monsters and Gaboon vipers now roaming private properties. A new map from charity Born Free reveals a surge in exotic animal ownership, especially in Dumfries and Galloway, Aberdeenshire, and Angus. One Aberdeenshire estate hosts nine ostriches, while Castle Douglas has forty wild boars behind fences — and a collector licenses twenty exotic pets, including alligators and deadly snakes. Despite a 1976 law meant to curb this, the number of dangerous animals in private homes has risen, with more venomous snakes now kept in homes than in zoos. Experts warn these wild animals suffer and pose serious risks — and urgent legal reform is needed.

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