Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 21 April 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 23 April 2009. It was answered by Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 April 2009 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Wolves: Dogs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the practice of breeding and keeping F3-generation wolfdogs with a high percentage of wolf DNA; what requirements there are to apply for a licence for such activity under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The keeping of wolves, and certain hybrids, is controlled under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and licences to do so are required from local authorities who administer and enforce the 1976 Act.The 1976 Act contains no provisions relating to the breeding of wolf hybrids and there has been no assessment of such practice in this respect.The schedule, or list, of species requiring a licence under the 1976 Act was revised in 2007. The general entry for "mammal hybrids" was amended so as to ensure that keeping both first and second generation hybrids, including wolf hybrids, requires a licence. Third generation hybrids, or generations further removed, in this instance, from the original wolf content, do not require a licence.DEFRA and the RSPCA jointly funded research into the keeping of wolf-dog hybrids which was published in 2001. The contractors found that very few wolf-hybrids were kept and that advertisements for wolf-dogs were generally misleading and had been embellished to attract public interest and justify high prices.

Secondary information