Spain aims to ban a wide variety of pets

Work is currently underway in Spain on a new animal welfare bill. Among other things, the new law will lay down the criteria to be met by animals for consideration as pets – for instance, that these must be on the list of permitted species. The main aim of the bill is to prevent the entry of invasive species.

Under the new animal welfare bill, the list of animals to be prohibited in future includes some extremely popular pets such as mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, tortoises, parakeets, parrots, lovebirds, snakes, spiders, iguanas, chameleons, geckos and birds originating from other countries.

Rabbits in particular pose a major environmental risk according to the draft bill; around 1.5 million were kept as pets in Spain at the last count. Parakeets, which are very popular in Spanish households, will also no longer be permitted as they are wild species that do not occur naturally in Spain.

The government approved the draft bill last summer but it still needs to pass through parliament. Local media reports indicate that the act will then come into force next year.