©Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash
From April 6, 2026, it will no longer be possible in practice to keep primates as pets in the United Kingdom. The new measures signed by the government introduce a licensing system with welfare standards similar to those of zoos, preventing private individuals from keeping primates. But the consequences are horrific. According to official estimates, the change in direction will fatally affect up to 5,000 animals.
The stated goal: better protection
The British government presents the reform as a decisive step to improve animal welfare. Primates are intelligent, social and complex animals, with needs that cannot be met in a domestic environment. Lord Douglas-Miller, the minister for animal welfare, stressed that those who do not comply with the new criteria risk unlimited fines or even imprisonment and the confiscation of animals, which can be confiscated. That line is shared by the RSPCA, which states that it is "practically impossible" to provide appropriate care for monkeys and other primates at home.
Worrying figures
Yet, just weeks before the law comes into effect, clear bottlenecks are emerging. According to the organization Born Free, only three permit applications have been submitted in nearly a year across England. A negligible number in relation to the true scale of the phenomenon, risking hundreds of animals ending up in illegality, with direct consequences for their future. The problem is not only legal, but also structural: shelters and sanctuaries are already full and there are no concrete plans to accommodate confiscated animals.
The risk of mere formal protection
This is where the biggest contradiction arises. On the one hand, it is right to argue that primates should not live in domestic captivity, but on the other hand, a law without realistic solutions risks becoming an indirect death sentence for the animals it claims to protect, up to and including the extreme scenario of euthanasia.
(©GOV.UK / Born Free via GreenMe.it 2026/Managing Editor: Selma Keshkire - The Press Junction/Picture: ©Birucao via Unsplash)