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The most recent animal protection legislation came into force in 2018. It clearly regulates which animals can be held in private homes.
In 2018, a staggering number of reptiles was found in a man's private apartment, almost half of which were later determined to be venomous:
As a result, the man was charged with animal cruelty and the reptiles were subsequently brought to sanctuaries in Dudelange and in Munich.
Our colleagues from RTL.lu talked to Dr Félix Wildschutz, director of the Veterinary Service Administration, about the issue. He explained that although outrageous, this instance should be considered a rare and extreme case rather than a persistent problem. Nevertheless, Dr Wildschutz used the opportunity to remind people about the two existing lists for animals that can be legally owned as pets in the Grand Duchy.
List I is dedicated to domesticated mammals, which can be as small as hamsters or guinea pigs, or as large as cows and horses. List II then classifies all non-mammal species, including the following:
- Fishes in aquariums or ponds
- Cage birds and poultry farming
- Non-venomous arthropods and bees
- Non-venomous molluscs in aquariums and terrariums
- Non-venomous amphibians in aquariums or ponds
- Non-venomous reptiles in terrariums and ponds, except for "Pond Slider" turtles, snakes than can grow longer than 3 metres, lizards that can grow longer than 1 metre, as well as small crocodiles
The only exception is for pets which have been owned since before the 2018 amendment, and now belong to the prohibited list. In these cases a pet can be kept until its death, provided that the owner provides a species-appropriate habitat for the animal.
