Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what oversight exists of local authorities that (a) keep and (b) exhibit animals in public parks, and what steps her Department is taking to ensure such animals are kept in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that kept animals, including those accommodated or exhibited in public parks, are cared for in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Where a local authority itself exhibits animals, it is expected to meet the same high welfare standards that apply to any operator under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. These Regulations require anyone in the business of keeping or training animals for exhibition to hold a valid licence and to comply with strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including requirements relating to the animal's environment, diet, health, and provision of appropriate care and supervision.

The 2018 Regulations are accompanied by statutory guidance developed to help local authorities enforce the licensing regime fairly and consistently. The guidance for keeping or training animals for exhibition can be found here.