Davidson suggests some silly examples like taxes on keeping a pet, neglecting your yard, playing a musical instrument, and singing in the shower.

FORBES: Sin Taxes Just Need Another Name

Though a great enthusiast for all things crocodile-related - he once seriously considered the logistics of keeping one in his home as a pet - Packham says humans always need to be on their guard when in the vicinity of such animals.

BBC: Who, what, why: How do you fight off a crocodile?

The orders mean pet owners can be fined for failing to remove dog faeces, not keeping a dog on a lead and allowing a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded.

BBC: Warwick councillors vote through dog control orders

Bandai, a Japanese toy company, made millions of dollars by transferring the precepts of pet-keeping to the electronic world with tamagotchi.

ECONOMIST: Mouse of Commons