Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has asked Lord Benyon, the Minister responsible for animal welfare, to support increased protection for Savannah cats.
Mr Seely is seeking to amend the Bill to ban the breeding and import of Savannahs as previously reported by Island Echo.
The Island MP submitted these amendments in collaboration with the Isle of Wight-based Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, who have campaigned against the breeding of wild and domestic cats through their SERVIVAL campaign.
In his letter to Lord Benyon, Mr Seely said:
“Breeding Savannahs is painful and cruel to the domestic cat. The resultant Savannahs are also, fundamentally, wild animals; they are not suitable pets and are often abandoned by their owners. Despite their unsuitability, the Savannah trade, fuelled by social media, has grown.
“Our amendment aims to protect both domestic cats involved in the breeding process and their hybrid offspring.”
Mr Seely concluded by saying:
“I hope you will consider my amendment’s merits.”
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The law currently requires some Serval owners to possess licenses. This depends on the generation of the hybrid cat. The list of species that require a license was last amended in 2007 to require licenses to own the immediate offspring of pure servals and a domestic cats, but subsequent hybrid offspring currently do not require licenses.
The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary’s SERVIVAL campaign has been endorsed by leading animal welfare charities, including Born Free, the RSPCA, Cats Protection and Battersea Cats and Dogs Home.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill is currently awaiting its Report Stage in the House of Commons. There is no set date for the Bill to return.
Wish he spent as much time sorting out things like the lack of dentists or GP’s, and families live on the poverty lines in his constituency, as he does playing about with pussy cats.
this tosser does everything else but his job i swear to god
Eloquently-put, but I do agree with you !
Yet Bob remains silent on the plight of the animals whose habitat will be destroyed in Ryde when the disgusting and corrupt development occurs along the Small brook valley. Maybe somebody who likes cats chatted him up at a Sandown Zoo barbecue.
This is so far out of his playground one has to wonder if he’s got a second job with some random company from abroad and that company has asked for some help to stop this trade. Go look for ‘led by donkeys’ on youTube. Corp media is hiding the story. But money grabbing MP’s want 10k a day not to do what they are elected for and instead spend their time doing stuff for foreign companies. Maybe being an PM does not pay enough.
Well done Bob you’ve done it again, as the Island issues get worse, ferries, crime, IWC incompetence.. you choose fluffy the cat to occupy the time we pay you for .. at least A.Turner did less to embarrass himself .
He is nothing but a headline seeker, and I think this proves he’s lost the plot