Dogs, rabbits … peacocks? UK offices navigate the rise of emotional support animals

Approximately 3%, or 330, of the ESA UK register of animals are classed as unusual, including donkeys, reptiles and a peacock. Photograph: Euan Cherry/BBC/Studio Lambert

The only problem Kathy has encountered taking her emotional support rabbit into work is when a new colleague wanted to bring in her emotional support dog.

“Her dog was sweet but there was obviously a risk he might attack my rabbit,” said the 28-year-old IT specialist, who uses a co-working office space in Bristol. “That destroyed all the therapeutic benefits for me of having an emotional support animal [ESA]; the calm was gone. I went into hyperaware overdrive.”