Which Farm Animals Are Banned or Restricted in South Africa

⏱ 12 min read · 2,275 words

What South African farmers need to know before buying, breeding, importing or keeping livestock, game animals and exotic species.

Written by Siphesihle Zangwa, researcher, University of Mpumalanga. Cleaned up and edited by Samukelo Moloko, publisher, MzansiFarm. Updated 5 November 2026.

A farmer can buy cattle, sheep or goats without applying for a wildlife permit, but the same cannot be assumed when purchasing antelope, exotic deer, buffalo, big cats or other wild animals.

South Africa does not have one master list of farm animals that are either allowed or banned. Different laws regulate ordinary livestock, indigenous wildlife, threatened species and alien animals. Some species can be kept under a permit, while certain activities, such as breeding, importing or selling, may be prohibited.

The rules also depend on the province and the property where the animals will be kept. A species that can legally be kept on one registered wildlife farm may not be permitted on a smallholding or residential property.

Before buying an unusual animal for farming, establish its legal status and obtain the necessary approvals. A seller's assurance that an animal is legal to farm is not proof that you can keep it.

1. Which Farm Animals Can Be Kept in South Africa?

Ordinary agricultural livestock include cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. Horses and other domestic animals are also kept for agricultural purposes.

These animals are not generally prohibited as farm livestock. However, farmers must comply with animal-health requirements, identification rules, animal welfare legislation, local land-use regulations and any applicable disease-control measures.

The position changes when farmers move into wildlife farming or keep species that are not normally domesticated.

For example, keeping cattle on agricultural land is different from establishing a breeding operation for lions, cheetahs or exotic antelope. The latter may involve conservation permits, facility registration and additional provincial requirements.

2. Wildlife and Indigenous Game Animals: When Is a Permit Required?

Indigenous wild animals are not automatically free to keep, breed or sell simply because they occur naturally in South Africa.

The National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 (NEMBA) provides protection for threatened and protected species. Its Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) regulations control certain activities involving listed animals.

Depending on the species, the restricted activity may include:

• Keeping or possessing the animal.
• Breeding or conducting a captive-breeding operation.
• Buying, selling or trading the animal.
• Transporting or moving it between properties.
• Importing or exporting it.
• Capturing or hunting it.

A permit for one activity does not automatically authorise all the others. A farmer who has permission to possess an animal should not assume that the same permission covers breeding or selling its offspring.

Which animals fall under TOPS?

The protected-species lists include various indigenous animals of conservation importance. Examples of species that farmers may encounter in wildlife farming include lions, cheetahs, rhinoceroses and other protected wildlife.

The exact legal status must be checked against the relevant species list. A common name alone is not always sufficient because different species and subspecies can have different legal classifications.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) provides a TOPS permit and registration service for restricted activities.

Who issues the permit?

The provincial conservation authority generally handles applications for activities within its jurisdiction. DFFE is responsible for specified national matters, including activities involving species in national protected areas and marine species.

The correct issuing authority should be confirmed before submitting an application.

Farmers operating wildlife-breeding businesses should also check whether their facilities require registration. TOPS registration requirements apply to specified captive-breeding operations, commercial exhibition facilities, nurseries, scientific institutions, sanctuaries, rehabilitation facilities and wildlife traders dealing with listed species.

3. Alien and Invasive Animals That Are Restricted in South Africa

An animal does not have to be endangered to fall under conservation restrictions. Some non-native animals are regulated because they can establish populations, spread into natural habitats and affect indigenous wildlife.

NEMBA also regulates alien and invasive species through the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations and their published lists.

The national lists classify invasive species into four categories:

The exact restrictions depend on the species and activity. The official notice must be read alongside the species-specific entries because exemptions and additional conditions may apply.

Examples of Alien Mammals on the National List

The September 2020 national list of invasive mammal species includes several animals that may interest wildlife farmers and people considering unusual livestock.

Examples include:

These animals are listed under the National List of Invasive Mammal Species in Government Gazette 43726, published on 18 September 2020.

Category 2 does not mean that every animal in this group is automatically banned. It means that specified restricted activities require permits. Under the general category rules, these include activities such as importation, possession, breeding, transportation and trading.

Some entries have additional conditions. Farmers should check the individual species entry rather than rely on the category number alone.

The full 2020 Alien and Invasive Species List contains separate lists for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and other organisms.

4. Does the Animal Improvement Act Allow Farmers to Breed Game Animals?

The Animal Improvement Act 62 of 1998 deals with animal breeding, genetic improvement and the utilisation of genetically superior animals.

Its inclusion of certain game species has caused confusion among wildlife farmers.

In July 2019, the Department of Environmental Affairs issued a clarification following changes to the Animal Improvement Act's list of declared landrace breeds.

The department explained that adding a game species to the Animal Improvement Act list does not remove its protection under NEMBA or provincial conservation legislation.

Some species on the amended list included:

• Black wildebeest.
• Blue wildebeest.
• Blue duiker.
• Bontebok.
• Gemsbok.
• Impala.
• Oribi.
• Red hartebeest.
• Roan antelope.
• Sable antelope.
• Springbok.
• Tsessebe.

A number of these species are also subject to threatened or protected species requirements.

For farmers, the distinction is important: permission under animal-improvement legislation is not a substitute for a wildlife permit.

The DFFE explains this in its statement, Legal Status of Game Species.

5. What About Keeping Exotic Animals on a Private Farm?

Owning agricultural land does not give someone unrestricted permission to keep any animal they choose.

A farmer interested in breeding exotic deer, large cats, buffalo or other wild animals should first establish the species' status and the requirements that apply to the proposed property.

The conservation authority may require information about:

• The property's location and boundaries.
• The species and number of animals.
• The purpose of keeping the animals.
• Whether the operation involves breeding or commercial trade.
• Enclosure and fencing arrangements.
• The source and legal ownership of the animals.
• Veterinary and animal-welfare arrangements.

Some species have specific enclosure, marking, management or security requirements.

Municipal land-use rules also matter. Agricultural zoning does not necessarily authorise every form of wildlife breeding or commercial animal keeping.

Municipal Restrictions on Keeping Farm Animals

Municipalities can regulate the number and types of animals kept on properties, particularly in residential and urban areas.

For example, the City of Cape Town requires permits for certain animal-keeping arrangements. Its published rules include conditions relating to property size, livestock and animal-housing structures.

Other municipalities have their own bylaws and application procedures.

Before buying pigs, poultry, horses or other livestock for a smallholding, contact the municipal planning or environmental health department. Ask whether the property's zoning permits the proposed animals and whether a separate animal-keeping permit is required.

6. Buying and Transporting Game Animals: What Documents Do You Need?

Paying a breeder for an animal does not automatically give you every legal permission required to keep it.

The Game Theft Act 105 of 1991 regulates ownership of game in certain circumstances and addresses theft and the unlawful taking of game.

When purchasing wildlife, keep the following documents:

1. A written purchase agreement or invoice identifying the animal and seller.
2. The animal's scientific and common names.
3. Proof of the animal's lawful origin and ownership.
4. Applicable provincial or national permits.
5. Transport or movement permits where required.
6. Identification, marking or registration records where applicable.
7. Any additional documentation required by the issuing authority.

Ask the seller for copies of the relevant permits and supporting records before making payment.

Also contact the conservation authority to establish whether the seller's existing permits cover the proposed transaction and whether new permits must be issued to you.

A permit belonging to another person should never be treated as your own authorisation.

7. Importing Farm Animals and Exotic Species into South Africa

Importing an animal involves more than arranging transport from another country.

The Department of Agriculture requires a veterinary import permit for live animals entering South Africa. The permit must be obtained before the animal is shipped.

For live farm animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, ostriches and poultry, authorisation from the Registrar of Animal Improvement is also required before the veterinary import permit can be issued.

Depending on the species, further requirements may include:

• Veterinary health certificates from the exporting country.
• Quarantine arrangements.
• Disease-testing requirements.
• Conservation permits.
• CITES documentation for internationally protected wildlife.

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, regulates international trade in specified threatened wild animals and plants.

The requirements depend on the species and country of origin.

The South African Government provides an official guide to importing animals and animal products.

Do not arrange shipment until the relevant authorities have confirmed the required permits and import conditions.

8. Animal Health and Movement Restrictions for Livestock Farmers

Even animals that are not listed as protected or invasive can be subject to movement restrictions.

Animal-health controls are particularly important for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other cloven-hoofed livestock.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one example. When an outbreak is suspected or confirmed, veterinary authorities can quarantine properties and restrict the movement of susceptible animals.

Under the national FMD control measures published on 8 July 2026, movement of live cloven-hoofed animals from quarantined premises requires written permission from the state veterinarian and a Veterinary Red Cross Permit.

The measures also provide for isolation, biosecurity and movement controls around infected properties.

A farmer purchasing cattle or other susceptible livestock should therefore contact the local state veterinarian before arranging transport. Check whether the farm of origin or destination is under quarantine or other movement restrictions.

The 8 July 2026 Government Gazette on FMD control measures sets out the current disease-control framework.

9. How to Check Whether an Animal Is Legal to Farm

Before buying an animal that is not ordinary domestic livestock, work through these checks.

Step 1: Get the scientific name.

Ask the breeder for the animal's scientific name, common name and subspecies. Trade names can be misleading, especially when different species look similar.

Step 2: Check the national wildlife lists.

Search the TOPS list and the Alien and Invasive Species List. Establish whether the animal is threatened, protected, alien or invasive.

Step 3: Contact provincial conservation officials.

Give the officials the scientific name, number of animals, property location and intended use. Ask specifically about possession, breeding, transport and commercial sale.

Step 4: Check the municipality.

Confirm that the property is zoned for the proposed activity. Ask about animal-keeping permits, enclosure standards, fencing and the maximum number of animals allowed.

Step 5: Confirm animal-health requirements.

Contact the local state veterinarian about animal identification, disease controls and transport documents. Imported animals require the relevant import approvals.

Step 6: Get written confirmation before paying.

Keep the permit conditions, official responses, purchase agreement and proof of legal origin together. Make sure the authorisations cover the actual property and proposed activity.

A breeder's certificate alone does not establish that every conservation, municipal and animal-health requirement has been met.

10. Where Farmers Can Find Official Information

The following government resources provide the legislation, permit procedures and species lists relevant to keeping and farming animals in South Africa.

Wildlife and conservation permits

Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment – TOPS permits

Information on permits and compulsory registration for restricted activities involving threatened or protected species.

DFFE – Legal status of game species

Clarification on the relationship between the Animal Improvement Act, NEMBA and provincial conservation legislation.

National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act – Alien and Invasive Species Lists

The official lists of invasive mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and other species.

DFFE – Withdrawal of revised TOPS regulations, 5 April 2023

Information on the withdrawal of the revised terrestrial and freshwater TOPS regulations published in February 2023. The 2007 TOPS regulations remained in force following the withdrawal.

Animal ownership and trade

Game Theft Act 105 of 1991

Legislation dealing with ownership of game and the prevention of game theft and unlawful taking.

CITES

International rules governing trade in protected wild animals and plants.

Animal imports and health

South African Government – Import Animals and Animal Products

Veterinary import permits and health documentation.

Government Gazette – FMD Control Measures, 8 July 2026

National requirements for quarantine, livestock movement and disease control during FMD outbreaks.

Before Buying an Unusual Farm Animal

Do not pay a deposit simply because a breeder says an animal is legal to keep. Get its scientific name, check the relevant national and provincial lists, and confirm the permits required for your particular farm.

The distinction between possessing an animal, breeding it, transporting it and selling it can determine whether a wildlife farming project is legally viable.

A written answer from the relevant conservation authority, municipality and state veterinarian is far more useful than an assurance from a seller.