New licensing rules to come into effect for primate owners

People who privately own a primate in England will soon need a licence to keep them.

Changes to The Animal (Primate Licences) Regulations 2024 means that from Monday, 6 April, those keeping Marmosets, Tamarins and similar animals will have to provide zoo-level welfare.

The list of animals includes:

• Marmosets
• Tamarins
• Squirrel Monkeys
• Spider Monkeys
• Capuchin Monkeys
• Lemurs
• Lorisids (also known as bush babies)

Owners should also be aware that some of these are also listed as Dangerous Wild Animals (DWA). Should anyone own a DWA and hold a DWA licence, a Primates licence will also be required to keep these animals.

Existing private primate keepers can apply for a primate licence from 6 April 2026, all private primate keepers and people proposing to keep a primate will be required to hold a licence, valid for a maximum of three years. They will need to undergo reassessment to renew their permission to keep their animals.

A person who requires a primate licence and keeps a primate in England without one will be committing an offence under section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and will be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term of up to six months, a fine or both.

For more information, please visit Animal welfare | NELC.