OSTRICHES, boars and a caiman are just some of the wild animals being kept in Cheshire West.

A Freedom of Information request submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council by the Northwich & Winsford Guardian has revealed the dangerous animals living in the area.

We asked the council for information such as how many licenses have been issued under the 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act and for what species'.

Over the past five years (2018-2023) 11 licenses have been issued by the council, with these going to five different premises, named as A to E in the FOI result.

One of these premises has since moved out of Cheshire West, meaning there are now four premises licensed to keep dangerous wild animals in the area, whom the council say have a 'long history' with 'no problems'.

Premises A is licensed to keep 36 wild boars and their hybrids, as well as any litters.

Meanwhile premises B, C, and D and licenses to keep two lechwe (a type of antelope), two ostriches and two ring-tailed lemurs respectively.

The premise which has now moved out of Cheshire West (E) was a business and had been licensed to keep 24 dangerous animals.

This included a spectacled caiman, a deathstalker scorpion, a fat tail scorpion, a bearded lizard and a Gila monster.

They also had 18 snakes including cobras, rattlesnakes, copperheads and vipers.