Gifttierhaltung und Forschungsfreiheit

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a poisonous animal law was passed in 2020 that prohibits the keeping of certain species of snakes, scorpions and spiders. There are only exceptions to the ban for scientific purposes for zoos and universities. This raises the question of how to deal with private individuals or research institutions outside universities that conduct research with venomous animals or poisons. An initial decision on the law by the Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court, which concerned a case involving the private keeping of tarantulas and in which scientific freedom was a topic, provides an opportunity to take a critical look at the law and discuss the consequences.