- PUBLIC COMMENT CLOSES 29 SEPTEMBER 2026 -
Cape Town is proposing to replace its current Animal Keeping By-law. The draft affects pets, birds, reptiles, rabbits, poultry, livestock, bees, animal businesses, breeders, animal exhibitions and traditional circus.
Find the sections that affect you and make your own submission to the City.
CAPE TOWN'S ANIMAL KEEPING BY-LAW IS CHANGING
Traditional Circus & Animal Exhibitions
Animal exhibitions require City permission, while wild and exotic animals would be banned from circus acts.
Draft section 11
Dog & Cat Pet Owners
Permits, sterilisation, identification and animal-number limits.
Draft sections 2–5
Reptile & Exotic Animal Owners
City permits, conservation requirements and added controls for dangerous animals.
Draft sections 25–27
Birds & Aviary Owners
Permits for more than five birds, plus new aviary and building-plan requirements.
Draft sections 27 & 34
Owners of Rabbits, Poultry & Livestock
Permits, property restrictions, enclosure standards and limits on certain animals.
Draft sections 27 & 32–35
Beekeepers
City permits, registration, training and stricter hive-location rules.
Draft section 38
Breeders & Animal Businesses
More permits, inspections and compliance requirements for breeding, keeping and selling animals.
Draft sections 12, 24 & 27
5 QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
Prohibition
If an activity is already regulated nationally and provincially, why prohibit it at municipal level instead of regulating it locally?
Permits
Permits are already required. Can the City actually run the system before adding more?
Welfare vs Paperwork
Does missing a permit mean an animal is badly cared for? Welfare and paperwork are not the same thing.
One size fits all?
A budgie, rabbit, python and horse have very different needs. Should the rules treat them the same way?
Enforcement
Should a paperwork or permit problem be treated the same way as cruelty, neglect or an immediate danger?
WHERE MCLAREN CIRCUS COMES IN:
2005
McLaren Circus begins operating in Cape Town.
2007
McLaren Circus acquires our first big cats.
SINCE 2016
The only traditional touring circus operating in the City of Cape Town.
SINCE 2005
Licensed annually under the Performing Animals Protection Act (PAPA).
PROVINCIAL PERMITS
CapeNature permits the import and transport of protected wild animals for exhibition purposes.
SINCE 2021
The City By-law has required a permit for animal exhibitions, yet no dedicated public application process appears to have been implemented.
IF THE CITY HAS NOT FULLY IMPLEMENTED THE EXISTING SYSTEM FOR REGULATING ANIMAL EXHIBITIONS, WHY MOVE FROM REGULATION TO PROHIBITION?
HAVE YOUR SAY!!!
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT!
THIS DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED TO COMMENT ON EVERY SECTION. FIND THE SECTIONS OF THE DRAFT BY-LAW THAT AFFECT OR CONCERN YOU, AND MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD.
IF YOU BELIEVE THE DRAFT BY-LAW SHOULD NOT BE PASSED IN ITS CURRENT FORM, MAKE SURE THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN KNOWS THAT YOU DO NOT SUPPORT THE DRAFT ANIMAL KEEPING BY-LAW, 2026.
IF YOU DON'T WISH TO COMMENT ON ANY OTHER PART OF THE DRAFT, WE ASK THAT YOU AT LEAST COMMENT ON SECTION 11(3) AND MAKE YOUR VIEW KNOWN ON THE PROPOSED BLANKET PROHIBITION OF WILD AND EXOTIC ANIMALS IN CIRCUS ACTS.