# King Cobras in uk?



## cobra-kai (4 mo ago)

just a quick one are king cobras available to buy in the uk? licence needed if so?


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## LiasisUK (Sep 30, 2019)

In order to keep the majority of venomous snakes in the UK you have to have a DWA (Dangerous Wild Animal) license. Which you apply for with your local council, you have to be 18 years old and usually you are required to be a home owner or have the permission of the home owner, meaning it is hard to get in rental accommodation. You can also keep them if you request it with your council under an AAL (Animal Activities License), which is what is required if you own a pet shop. 

King cobras are kept in the UK yes, there's a few people working with them. Though they are not very available, the breeding and raising of them in captivity has only been properly cracked in the last 5 years or so. The main difficulty is feeding the babies. However due to their size and the license requirements they are few and far between with many keepers only keeping one. Not much point breeding a species that has 20+ offspring when the market for them is so small, especially now as well after Brexit as they are CITES so trading them with Europe is much more difficult. They are much more available over there with some German and Dutch breeders of them.


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## cobra-kai (4 mo ago)

LiasisUK said:


> In order to keep the majority of venomous snakes in the UK you have to have a DWA (Dangerous Wild Animal) license. Which you apply for with your local council, you have to be 18 years old and usually you are required to be a home owner or have the permission of the home owner, meaning it is hard to get in rental accommodation. You can also keep them if you request it with your council under an AAL (Animal Activities License), which is what is required if you own a pet shop.
> 
> King cobras are kept in the UK yes, there's a few people working with them. Though they are not very available, the breeding and raising of them in captivity has only been properly cracked in the last 5 years or so. The main difficulty is feeding the babies. However due to their size and the license requirements they are few and far between with many keepers only keeping one. Not much point breeding a species that has 20+ offspring when the market for them is so small, especially now as well after Brexit as they are CITES so trading them with Europe is much more difficult. They are much more available over there with some German and Dutch breeders of them.


thanks for reply mate


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

When I was keeping venomous snakes I also just had one king and that was a rescue. That was over ten years ago and even then I couldn’t find one.

And the only reason I was able to get one is because of some idiot. 17 years old, bought a king in a German trade show, took it over on a frikin bus and kept it in a 2ft enclosure in his parent’s living room.

Thankfully that’s next to impossible now but back in the day it was like the Wild West with some of the trade shows.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Jibbajabba said:


> When I was keeping venomous snakes I also just had one king and that was a rescue. That was over ten years ago and even then I couldn’t find one.
> 
> And the only reason I was able to get one is because of some idiot. 17 years old, bought a king in a German trade show, took it over on a frikin bus and kept it in a 2ft enclosure in his parent’s living room.
> 
> Thankfully that’s next to impossible now but back in the day it was like the Wild West with some of the trade shows.


That still happens.
It was only about 3 or 4 years back I dealt with something almost identical. He'd managed to get hold of puff adders and spitting Cobras and brought them back after convincing his dad they were harmless.


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## cobra-kai (4 mo ago)

ian14 said:


> That still happens.
> It was only about 3 or 4 years back I dealt with something almost identical. He'd managed to get hold of puff adders and spitting Cobras and brought them back after convincing his dad they were harmless.


crazy lol


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## cobra-kai (4 mo ago)

Jibbajabba said:


> When I was keeping venomous snakes I also just had one king and that was a rescue. That was over ten years ago and even then I couldn’t find one.
> 
> And the only reason I was able to get one is because of some idiot. 17 years old, bought a king in a German trade show, took it over on a frikin bus and kept it in a 2ft enclosure in his parent’s living room.
> 
> Thankfully that’s next to impossible now but back in the day it was like the Wild West with some of the trade shows.


how did you find with handling the king?


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

cobra-kai said:


> how did you find with handling the king?


You simply not. Full stop. You handle any venomous only if you really have to. Problem with Kings is that they are huge. Or rather get huge. Mine was a baby / juvenile at 3ft or so and they get up to around 12, some up to 18. At adultsize you almost got no choice but to hand handle them.

I know there are plenty of keepers on the internet like YouTube handling them. But whilst a bite protocol is a requirement, just think a out where they come from. Mine was an Indian and what you think how much anti-venin your local hospital has for Asian cobras. Or any non-native for that matter.

Anyway. Venomous are to look at, feed and clean. The associated cost with venomous keeping is astronomical from escapade proof room to licensing and whatnot. So most people will have multiple.


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## cobra-kai (4 mo ago)

Jibbajabba said:


> You simply not. Full stop. You handle any venomous only if you really have to. Problem with Kings is that they are huge. Or rather get huge. Mine was a baby / juvenile at 3ft or so and they get up to around 12, some up to 18. At adultsize you almost got no choice but to hand handle them.
> 
> I know there are plenty of keepers on the internet like YouTube handling them. But whilst a bite protocol is a requirement, just think a out where they come from. Mine was an Indian and what you think how much anti-venin your local hospital has for Asian cobras. Or any non-native for that matter.
> 
> Anyway. Venomous are to look at, feed and clean. The associated cost with venomous keeping is astronomical from escapade proof room to licensing and whatnot. So most people will have multiple.


thanks for reply


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## Pirate7 (Apr 7, 2008)

LiasisUK said:


> In order to keep the majority of venomous snakes in the UK you have to have a DWA (Dangerous Wild Animal) license. Which you apply for with your local council, you have to be 18 years old and usually you are required to be a home owner or have the permission of the home owner, meaning it is hard to get in rental accommodation. You can also keep them if you request it with your council under an AAL (Animal Activities License), which is what is required if you own a pet shop.
> 
> King cobras are kept in the UK yes, there's a few people working with them. Though they are not very available, the breeding and raising of them in captivity has only been properly cracked in the last 5 years or so. The main difficulty is feeding the babies. However due to their size and the license requirements they are few and far between with many keepers only keeping one. Not much point breeding a species that has 20+ offspring when the market for them is so small, especially now as well after Brexit as they are CITES so trading them with Europe is much more difficult. They are much more available over there with some German and Dutch breeders of them.


To add to the section hard to get in rental accommodation - this appears to stretch to house buying schemes too. I was curious and did a bunch of research, as I dream for eyelash and variable bush vipers. Looking at the T&C's of some properties here in Sussex on buying schemes DWA animals are not permitted.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Pirate7 said:


> To add to the section hard to get in rental accommodation - this appears to stretch to house buying schemes too. I was curious and did a bunch of research, as I dream for eyelash and variable bush vipers. Looking at the T&C's of some properties here in Sussex on buying schemes DWA animals are not permitted.


I think they would be hard pushed to enforce that if you own the property and your name is on the deeds.
Part of the application is a question as to whether you own your own home or rent. If you own your own home then that's the end of questions. If you rent, you will be asked for permission from the owner. It doesn't go into detail around buying schemes etc.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

King cobras are also difficult to feed, mostly requiring a diet of other snakes.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Pirate7 said:


> Looking at the T&C's of some properties here in Sussex on buying schemes DWA animals are not permitted.


Buying freehold means you own the house and the land it sits on, and you can do whatever you want provided it is legal or covered by planning permission (ie not turning it into a cannabis factory or building a two story extension ). However, things may be different if you are buying leasehold, such as a block of maisonettes, where you don't own the land, just the bricks and mortar. Then there could be restrictions built into the lease much the same was as renting.


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## Pirate7 (Apr 7, 2008)

Makes sense, I rechecked some of the websites I got the information from and completely missed out the whole leasehold part 😅 - I am guessing Shared Ownership is a leasehold? - I've never bought a house, I live in a converted building at my parents house..... until I can sell all my organs for a deposit and enough savings to power a kettle.

Just thought it might be something to look into if people are trying to get their DWALs and buying into the house buying schemes. I mean, from the sound of it the PL insurance issue hasn't been updated on the forum, so it looks like it's impossible to keep.


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

wilkinss77 said:


> King cobras are also difficult to feed, mostly requiring a diet of other snakes.


Yea that’s a point I haven’t even brought up myself and almost forgotten about. They are extremely difficult to convert to rodents. If this wasn't done / attempted when they were young, you are almost always out of luck. What made my rescue even more difficult is that it only ever ate live.

The previous owner owned the snake for several months and of course was attempted to be fed on rodents to no avail. When I got her she was a b*** to get eating. 

Eventually she ate first live and I slowly converted her to frozen / thawed, but yes, snakes. In the UK the easiest way to feed a cobra is unfortunately the pet trade. Don't want to get into too much depth here but cobras really are a type of snake you don't want to start off with.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Pirate7 said:


> I am guessing Shared Ownership is a leasehold? - I've never bought a house, I live in a converted building at my parents house.....


Yes, shared ownership will be leasehold, although depending on the property (such as a house) you may have options to purchase the freehold under whatever staircasing scheme they run. But, as I said above, if its a flat or maisonette with a group of properties in a block then it will be leasehold, and even if you staircase to own 100% of the property rather then whatever split you started with it will be leasehold. 

We used to live in a shared equity maisonette on a 50:50 basis, but there was nothing in the agreement regarding keeping of pets let alone snakes. The housing association was more concerned about sub letting or practices that lowered the tone of the close (such as satellite dishes etc).

None of us can advise regarding your current living accommodation, but if their house is freehold, and the place you live in is within their boundary then technically it could also be freehold... You would have to consult with your parents to confirm. But then that doesn't mean you would be any nearer to getting your DWAL.


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## Pirate7 (Apr 7, 2008)

Malc said:


> Yes, shared ownership will be leasehold, although depending on the property (such as a house) you may have options to purchase the freehold under whatever staircasing scheme they run. But, as I said above, if its a flat or maisonette with a group of properties in a block then it will be leasehold, and even if you staircase to own 100% of the property rather then whatever split you started with it will be leasehold.
> 
> We used to live in a shared equity maisonette on a 50:50 basis, but there was nothing in the agreement regarding keeping of pets let alone snakes. The housing association was more concerned about sub letting or practices that lowered the tone of the close (such as satellite dishes etc).
> 
> None of us can advise regarding your current living accommodation, but if their house is freehold, and the place you live in is within their boundary then technically it could also be freehold... You would have to consult with your parents to confirm. But then that doesn't mean you would be any nearer to getting your DWAL.


Makes sense. Learn something new every day! It's still worth looking in the small print when thinking about DWAL in my opinion, you never know.
We're in a similar situation we can't get solar panels or poultry/fowl as it's written in the deeds as it will change the look of the house and the quality of the area (it's a very posh area, all the neighbours have morgans like a little clique pact).

No advice is needed, but thank you! I am unable to get a DWAL because I take the piss with the snakes I have and it'd be too much for them and all the other caviates that come with DWALs. Also, my parents own the house freehold without a mortgage, so parents own the land too - Winning. I am closer to selling all my snakes than I am getting a DWAL, so the eyelash and bush vipers are a long way off, _Boigas _are enough for the moment.


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## MHopkins (Jun 22, 2021)

To add to the difficulty in obtaining a DWAL it looks like the hobbies losing its two main insurers, grim times for keepers of any kind of DWA. Snakes and adders posted a video on yt the other day, decided to to a little digging on the net, really doesn't look good, the only hope is that some of the ´loaded´ big cat and very private zoo guys get involved and fight it.


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

@Malc may have found a potential alternative (posted in DWA section). Worth checking.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Jibbajabba said:


> @Malc may have found a potential alternative (posted in DWA section). Worth checking.


Not that I require it as I don't own any DWA (other than a clumsy GSD who a danger to himself let alone others  ) but do you have a link.... I've been searching for information on this subject to see if I can help anyone (I have time to do so at the moment), and if it resolves this issue maybe the mods could pin the solution you found in the DWA section ?


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

Not sure I understand. A link to your own post ?!?


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Jibbajabba said:


> Not sure I understand. A link to your own post ?!?


Sorry - misunderstood your post....


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