Potsdam (dpa/bb) — Brandenburg's state government plans to significantly tighten restrictions on keeping dangerous animals. The cabinet is drafting a hazardous animals law that would ban the ownership, breeding, propagation, and trade of creatures such as scorpions, venomous spiders, and big cats, State Premier Dietmar Woidke (SPD) announced in Potsdam. The impetus for the proposal was the alleged lion sighting in Kleinmachnow several years ago.
Brandenburg cracks down on dangerous exotic pets with new law
Currently, acquiring many exotic animals is barely regulated, and living conditions for them go unchecked, said Anne Zinke, the state's animal welfare commissioner. "This has to change," Woidke emphasized. Under the new rules, keeping such animals would only be permitted in exceptional cases—provided there is proof "that the animals are kept by knowledgeable and responsible owners and that liability insurance is in place to cover potential damages."
Woidke stressed that the legislation would address "both ownership and trade." Authorities aim to assess how the state can "impose stricter controls" in these areas, which could include outright bans on keeping certain species. Discussions on the precise details of the hazardous animals law are still ongoing. "This is a highly complex legislative project," he noted.
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