Keeping of animals requiring a permit

Which wild animals need a permit?

In addition to ferrets, chameleons, wild game, poisonous snakes and giant snakes, there are several other wild animals that require a permit. An exhaustive list can be found in Art. 89 of the Animal Protection Ordinance.

What requirements must be met?

The website of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO provides an overview detailing the individual needs of the various wild animals in terms of exercise, activity, food, water, care and social contact, as well as comprehensive information on the requirements to be met. BLV- Keeping pets and wild animals

Is specific training required?

If animals in private pets and wild animals are exclusively cared for by the license holder, proof of minimum training must be provided for certain wild animals. The training courses must be completed in recognized organizations. Range of recognized training courses and information on the training requirement / keeping pets and wild animals

What is the procedure?

The permit application must be completed in full and sent to the ALKVW together with the necessary supporting documents.

The animals may only be purchased or taken over once the corresponding permit has been issued.

What is considered commercial keeping of wild animals?

The following animal husbandry operations are deemed to be commercial in accordance with Art. 90 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance:

• zoological gardens, circuses, drive-through parks, wildlife parks, small zoos, dolphinariums, aviaries, show aquariums, show terrariums, animal shows with a fixed location and similar facilities that can either be viewed for a fee or that can be viewed without a fee but are operated in conjunction with commercial facilities such as restaurants, stores or leisure facilities;
• Establishments where wild animals are kept or used commercially for medical treatment, egg, meat or fur production or for similar purposes;
• Establishments where wild animals are bred for hunting or fishing

The following are not considered to be commercial wild animal holdings:

• Holding tanks for freshwater food fish in the catering trade;
• individual aquaria for ornamental purposes, even if they are associated with commercial establishments;
• Keeping of quails of the species Coturnix japonica, provided that no more than 50 adult animals are kept

What requirements must be met?

The website of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO provides an overview detailing the individual needs of the various wild animals in terms of exercise, occupation, food, water, care and social contact and provides comprehensive information on the requirements to be met. The special features of commercial wild animal husbandry are also outlined. BLV- Home and wild animal husbandry

What training is required?

According to Article 85 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance, wild animal husbandry requiring a permit must be under the responsibility of animal keepers. If only one group of animals with similar husbandry requirements is kept, it is sufficient for the person responsible to have a specialist non-professional qualification (FBA).

Range of recognized training courses and information on mandatory training / keeping pets and wild animals

What is the procedure?

1. Completion of the necessary training
2. Prepare the appropriate housing facility (enclosure, terrarium, etc.). The minimum requirements defined in the Animal Welfare Ordinance must be observed.
3. Complete the permit application in full and send it to the ALKVW together with the necessary supporting documents.

The animals may only be purchased or adopted once the corresponding permit has been issued.

Potentially dangerous dogs within the meaning of Art. 2a para. 1 let. b of the Act are dogs of the following breeds:

• a) American Staffordshire Terriers;
• b) Bull terrier;
• c) Cane Corso;
• d) Doberman;
• e) Dogo Argentino;
• f) Fila Brasileiro;
• g) Mastiff;
• h) Mastin Espagnol;
• i) Mastino Napoletano;
• k) Presa Canario (Dogo Canario);
• l) Rottweiler;
• m) Staffordshire Bull Terrier;
• n) Tosa.

2) Equivalent to the dogs according to paragraph 1 are

• a) Dogs of the pit bull type;
• b) dogs from the crossbreeding with dogs of the breeds according to para. 1 and those of the Pitbull type;
• c) the group of dogs whose members are similar in appearance to representatives of the breeds referred to in paragraph 1 and the dogs referred to in paragraph 2 letters a and b and whose other breed affiliation cannot be proven.

3) The special obligation to be kept on a lead and the obligation to wear a muzzle under Art. 6a para. 1 of the Act only apply to dogs under paras. 1 and 2 after they have reached the age of nine months.

Information:

Evidence:

The submitted application for the examination of expertise and the associated documents will be checked by the Food Inspection and Veterinary Office. If no objections or further clarifications are necessary, you will receive an invitation to the examination.

The examination of expertise is a written examination using the multiple-choice method. It covers the following areas in particular:

• Basic knowledge of dog ownership
• Learning behavior of dogs
• legal aspects

Thorough preparation for the exam is recommended. For this purpose, we recommend the study of relevant literature by well-known specialist authors on the topics of basic knowledge and learning behavior, e.g: Günther Bloch, Jean Donaldson, Dr. med. vet. Renate Jones, Martina Nagel, Clarissa v. Reinhardt, Turid Rugaas, Heinz Weidt, etc.

In addition, they should be familiar with the provisions of the Dogs Act, the Dogs Ordinance and the "Domestic Dogs" chapter of the Animal Welfare Ordinance.

A license to keep the dog will only be issued after the dog has successfully passed an expert examination. The dog may not be adopted without a permit.

Note: The license is issued specifically for one dog and does not authorize the owner to keep other potentially dangerous dogs.

Potentially dangerous dogs are subject to a special leash and muzzle requirement from the age of 9 months.

By passing the social compatibility test, the dog can be exempted from the special leash and muzzle requirement. The test essentially covers the following areas