Ban on Experimental Breeding

Arthur Weasley: "What've you got there, Bob?"

Bob: "We thought it was a bog-standard chicken until it started breathing fire. Looks like a serious breach of the Ban on Experimental Breeding to me."

— The Ministry confiscating a creature that was considered a breach of the ban

Newt Scamander, the law's writer

The Ban on Experimental Breeding was a law enacted in 1965 to prevent the creation of new species of creatures within Great Britain, out of the fear that they may be dangerous and untameable.

History

There was initial support for a ban on experimental breeding in the 1890s when a "Dricken", a cross between a chicken and dragon, was rumoured to have been bred, and an investigation was carried out by the Ministry of Magic on magical cross-breeds. Belinda Brown, an employee for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, spoke to the Daily Prophet about her concerns on experimental breeding, but believed not many people were paying attention to it.

By 1925, a similar ban had come into place in America.

The law was eventually written by the Magizoologist Newt Scamander some decades later, and was enforced by the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Scamander personally regarded the implementation of the law as his greatest achievement. The punishment for violations of this law were handed down by the Wizengamot.

Possible breaches

Blast-Ended Skrewts

A young Blast-Ended Skrewt on a leash

The Blast-Ended Skrewt was a cross between a Manticore and a Fire Crab that was bred by Rubeus Hagrid in the autumn of 1994. They looked like large, deformed, shell-less lobsters with legs sticking out at odd angles. They were able to produce small explosions which propelled themselves forward, and the males had stingers and the females had suckers to suck blood. Eventually Skrewts grew to be about 10 feet long and were highly dangerous, with spell-resistant armour and a weak, soft underbelly. Despite their creation having breaching this ban, their creator, Hagrid, was never punished for their creation.

Fire-breathing chickens

A fire breathing chicken

Fire breathing chickens were a breed of chicken which possessed the ability to breathe fire, much like a dragon. In 1995, Bob confiscated one of these creatures, remarking to Arthur Weasley that it "looked like a serious breach of the ban on experimental breeding". By the 21st century, there were many more of these creatures in the world, particularly in Denmark where they had become a delicacy. Rubeus Hagrid had managed to train several of these chickens to hold their fire at a constant temperature and increase the temperature of their flames at will, which aided Calamity Investigators in brewing potions.

Pygmy Puffs

Pygmy puffs

Pygmy Puffs were a miniature variation of the regular Puffskein that came in colours such as pink and purple. They were bred by Fred and George Weasley, the proprietors of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, who created them for their WonderWitch line. Eventually, Pygmy Puffs were available to buy at other retailers as well, such as the Magical Menagerie.

Fanged Puffskeins

A fanged puffskein

Fanged Puffskeins were a variation of the normal Puffskein that possessed fangs.

Behind the scenes

• Although the law was seemingly broken several times, no-one has ever been prosecuted for doing so.
• The law did not prohibit breeding dangerous existing wizard-bred species such as Acromantula and Basilisks. Instead, their breeding was banned under different laws, such as Acromantula eggs being prohibited items for trade. A ban on Basilisks being bred was in place long before the creation of the ban in 1965.
  • The breeding of wizard-bred species that weren't deemed to be dangerous (such as the Crup) wasn't illegal, which may have been a reason why Fred and George weren't punished for creating the Pygmy Puff, a non-dangerous variation of the Puffskein.
• The law does not appear to ban Transfiguration involving beasts such as Trans-Species Transformation.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Hogwarts Legacy (Indirectly mentioned only)

See also

• Legislation regarding animal cruelty