Licences for people who want to keep primates set to be introduced in York could see previously unknown owners of the animals come forward, a councillor has said.
A one-year primate licence would cost £386 under York Council proposals, with ownership restricted to private keepers who can provide zoo-level welfare standards.
Council Licensing Manager Lesley Cook told councillors on Thursday, April 10 the authority was not aware of any private primate keepers in York.
But Licensing and Regulatory Committee member Cllr Anne Hook said some owners previously unknown to the council may come out of the woodwork as a result of the proposals.
The plans, which the committee recommended for council approval, come ahead of keepers being required to hold a licence from April 2026 after national regulations came into force this month.
Research from wild animal charity Born Free estimates there could be up to 5,000 privately-owned primates in Britain but only 250 are kept under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.
Marmosets, which typically grow to about 20cm-long, are thought to be the most commonly-owned species in the UK.
New rules drawn up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs mean councils will issue and enforce licences which primate keepers will legally be required to hold.
Applicants will be subject to an inspection from a vet or another qualified professional before a decision on whether to grant a licence is made.
Keepers would also be inspected while holding a licence which will last for up to three years.
In York, keepers who apply for a three-year licence will be charged £499, with two-year ones costing £485.
Councillors heard the proposed fees were based on those for animal licences already issued in York.
Licence holders will be able to apply to vary them and can surrender them and the council will also be able to revoke them if deemed necessary.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Hook told the committee the council should be prepared for primate keepers to start coming forward.
The Rural and West York ward councillor said: “I think there will be quite a few primates because it includes marmosets that can be really small and kept in humane bird cages.
“You will suddenly find a lot of them coming out of the woodwork.”
Born Free’s Captivity Research Officer Chris Lewis said the new rules needed to be robust and enforceable to ensure animals are kept in conditions which meet their needs.
The charity has campaigned to end the keeping of primates as pets for more than 20 years.
Born Free’s research officer said: “Primates have highly complex welfare and social needs which cannot be met in a domestic environment.
“While the Regulations do not ban their keeping, they do have the potential to greatly reduce the numbers being kept, and the likelihood of animals being kept in extremely poor conditions.”
Lord Robbie Douglas-Miller, animal welfare minister in the previous Conservative Government which brought in the rules, said they would help stop animals being kept in inadequate conditions.
Speaking when the rules were announced last year, the former minister said: “We are proud to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, including these new restrictions.
“Anyone who fails to provide the same welfare standards as found in a zoo faces a fine and having the primate removed from their care.”
