# shop license



## sanderson (Aug 5, 2008)

am I correct in thinking you can keep DWA under a pet shop license? If so how does this work? 


Many thanks : victory:


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## Victoria_O (Jan 11, 2009)

You are indeed correct! We have a PSL in conjunction with our unit and can keep venomous and other animals listed under the DWAL act. We apply on an annual basis when we want to add other animals. 

Vicki x


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## sanderson (Aug 5, 2008)

Victoria_O said:


> You are indeed correct! We have a PSL in conjunction with our unit and can keep venomous and other animals listed under the DWAL act. We apply on an annual basis when we want to add other animals.
> 
> Vicki x


Ok, so if I was to start a reptile shop I would need a license anyway but would I need anything more to stock DWA? (I wouldn't plan to stock DWA but a few on display might be good for getting people in the shop! :devil 

Probably wont happen (this year anyway) But I have found a few local shops with very good rent but I am looking up licensing costs etc... so any help is good! 

Thanks : victory:


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## Victoria_O (Jan 11, 2009)

sanderson said:


> Ok, so if I was to start a reptile shop I would need a license anyway but would I need anything more to stock DWA? (I wouldn't plan to stock DWA but a few on display might be good for getting people in the shop! :devil
> 
> Probably wont happen (this year anyway) But I have found a few local shops with very good rent but I am looking up licensing costs etc... so any help is good!
> 
> Thanks : victory:


 
To run a pet shop you need a pet shop license. With ours we basically sit down with our licensing officer on an annual basis and discuss what we want to add to the license and what we can afford to take off.

We are quite lucky in the fact that our license is almost free as to what we can keep, for example we have 2000 snakes (non-venomous) 1000 lizards (non-venomous) 5000 amphibians 200 snakes (venomous) 50 lizards (venomous) then there are primates, large cats, chelonian etc.

If we were to open a shop as apposed to just having our unit we would require a higher liability as to the one we have but that really is about it. 

I cannot give you 110% advice re; the procedures because 1) your council is going to be different & 2) we don’t run a shop. 

Hope that’s of some help 

Vicki x


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

You will need to check with your local council - some councils specifically state that DWAL animals are not included in the PSL without other prerequisites being met, for example.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Ssthisto said:


> You will need to check with your local council - some councils specifically state that DWAL animals are not included in the PSL without other prerequisites being met, for example.


Just to add to the above, it is all dependent on your local council. In Stoke-on-trent, you have to hold a seperate DWA liscence, as well as a pet shop liscence to stock any DWA animals. They also take a hell of alot of pursading to let you do it. My local shop took ages to get permission. 

Jay


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

Victoria_O said:


> To run a pet shop you need a pet shop license. With ours we basically sit down with our licensing officer on an annual basis and discuss what we want to add to the license and what we can afford to take off.
> 
> We are quite lucky in the fact that our license is almost free as to what we can keep, for example we have 2000 snakes (non-venomous) 1000 lizards (non-venomous) 5000 amphibians 200 snakes (venomous) 50 lizards (venomous) then there are primates, large cats, chelonian etc.
> 
> ...


50 Venemous lizards? All i can think of is Kommodo and Beaded. Are there others?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Gilas as well - but it's 50 actual *animals* not 50 species


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

Ssthisto said:


> Gilas as well - but it's 50 actual *animals* not 50 species


Aye should have typed that better. :lol2:

Just cant see a shop stocking 50 gilas or beadeds so was wondering if there was more species that i wasn't aware of.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Spikebrit said:


> Just to add to the above, it is all dependent on your local council. In Stoke-on-trent, you have to hold a seperate DWA liscence, as well as a pet shop liscence to stock any DWA animals. They also take a hell of alot of pursading to let you do it. My local shop took ages to get permission.
> 
> Jay


I would check that as the DWA has a specific list of exemptions for those who do not require a licence, these being licenced zoo operators and PSL holders.


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## burmman (Oct 30, 2008)

the kommodo isn't on the DWA anymore, all you need is the correct cites paper work.


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## Victoria_O (Jan 11, 2009)

Lucifus said:


> Aye should have typed that better. :lol2:
> 
> Just cant see a shop stocking 50 gilas or beadeds so was wondering if there was more species that i wasn't aware of.


No there isnt there are just Gila's and Beadeds! Komodo's are not DWA listed and indeed not classed as venomous as the others are. 

The 50 limit on there was because we were looking at importing a large group later in the year however we are not sure this is going to happen due to poor egg counts from the breeders females. 

Vicki x


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Actually, far as I'm aware, Komodo dragons were *never* on the DWA.


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## Victoria_O (Jan 11, 2009)

Ssthisto said:


> Actually, far as I'm aware, Komodo dragons were *never* on the DWA.


Thats correct! They ultimatly are only another species of Monitor!


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

However they do need a Zoo License iirc.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

hi people, im soon going to be starting the process of opening a pet shop in wiltshire, and at my local council a DWA is not included with the pet shop licence.

chris.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Lucifus said:


> However they do need a Zoo License iirc.


No they don't. A zoo licence is a Zoo Operator's licence, which is required by anyone intending to open a collection of animals to the public, NOT to keep certain species. 
There is no licence required to keep a Komodo, other then the obvious CITES papers. It is a varanid, and species such as Water monitors etc can grow longer but less heavily bodied than Komodo's.


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## cmullins (Feb 20, 2008)

ian14 said:


> No they don't. A zoo licence is a Zoo Operator's licence, which is required by anyone intending to open a collection of animals to the public, NOT to keep certain species.
> There is no licence required to keep a Komodo, other then the obvious CITES papers. It is a varanid, and species such as Water monitors etc can grow longer but less heavily bodied than Komodo's.


...true


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

ian14 said:


> I would check that as the DWA has a specific list of exemptions for those who do not require a licence, these being licenced zoo operators and PSL holders.


I thought the same thing and advised the pet shop owner to investigate. Which turned out the examptions could be changed by the local council or somthing like that. Im not sure on the exact figours. So to reduce the number of DWA holders they dont include it with a PSL. Stoke council have only given out 2 DWA liscences, one is to my local and the other to Dave who's on here. 

Jay


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

If you look at the wording of the DWA it is very clear that a PSL holder is exempt from needing a DWA. Local councils cannot just change the legislation because they don't like it!


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## charlesthompson (Feb 11, 2006)

one of the only ways to ligitimately get a komodo is through the zoo stud book, hence why you need to be a zoo to get one.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Am I right in thinking that hatchling komodo's have been offered in Europe? I am sure that as long as you have the CITES paperwork then you can obtain one. Whether or not a private keeper would have the abitility to safely and correctly house one is a different matter though!


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## BigBaz (Jan 12, 2007)

with my council u have to have a pet shop licence and then a dwa licence


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## sanderson (Aug 5, 2008)

BigBaz said:


> with my council u have to have a pet shop licence and then a dwa licence


but the pet shop licence would mean you can buy DWA anyway even if it was just for your own collection?


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## BigBaz (Jan 12, 2007)

thats not the way my council put it forward


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## sanderson (Aug 5, 2008)

BigBaz said:


> thats not the way my council put it forward


Well your council can't stop you buying DWA animals with your PSL, and as far as I can see you wouldn't be breaking any laws.. :devil:


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## BigBaz (Jan 12, 2007)

ok cool


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

To clear this up - 

"Section 5 of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 provides for exemptions to the act for animals kept in specific premises.

The provisions of this Act shall not apply to any dangerous wild animal kept in:-

5(1) a zoo within the meaning of the Zoo Licencing Act 1981 for which a licence is in force (or is in force for the time being required) under that Act;

5(2) a circus;

5(3) premises licenced as a pet shop under the Pet Animals Act 1951;

5(4) a place which is a designated establishment within the meaning of teh Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986."

As you can see, section 5(3) provides a specific exemption to pet shops needing a DWA. Councils insisting otherwise cannot therefore enforce the need for a DWA at a licenced pet shop.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

However, a local council can make it a condition of your having a pet shop licence that you NOT stock DWA animals... the same as they can make it a condition of your licence that you are not allowed to stock, say, puppies or kittens.

It's not that they're requiring you to have a DWAL ... it's that they're specifically exempting certain animals from your licence.


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## the zoo (Mar 7, 2009)

as said above it is not that they want to enforce a dwa just that they will not add dwa animals to your license meaning you cannot sell them. we are in the process of getting our pet shop license and have had one before and our council have said they would never add dwa's to a shop in the town centre!


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