Israel Reclassifies Nile Crocodiles to Enable “Crocodile Prison” Proposal

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman signed an order that reclassifies Nile crocodiles as “specially managed wild animals.” The change removes the requirement that such animals be kept only in licensed zoos, thereby permitting the Israel Prison Service to house them at facilities that hold roughly 10,000 Palestinian detainees. The move advances National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s plan to surround high-security prisons with crocodile-filled moats, a concept dubbed the “crocodile prison” in Hebrew media.

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Attorney Neta Drori, the legal adviser to the Environmental Protection Ministry, warned that the proposal lacks professional and factual grounding and that no modern precedent exists for using crocodiles as a security measure. She noted that a brief U.S. experiment was discontinued and took place where crocodiles were already native, offering no comparable model. Drori emphasized that the Prison Service lacks expertise in raising dangerous wild animals and that an in-depth animal-welfare review, consultation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority council, and public comment are legally required. She concluded that the conditions for a legal declaration have not been met, creating a legal impediment.

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Silman rejected Drori’s assessment, citing a senior Nature and Parks Authority official who allegedly did not oppose the initiative and asserting that an existing framework could be applied. Ben-Gvir and Police Commissioner Danny Levy have met with the Nature and Parks Authority’s director-general and the ministry’s legal adviser, reiterating their intent to position crocodiles around a prison despite repeated legal warnings.

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Environmental officials argue that the law’s spirit is to protect wildlife, not to use it for security. A professional source described Silman’s actions as contrary to her own legal adviser, the Nature and Parks Authority’s council, and existing law, indicating no legal basis for the reclassification.

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• “We are supposed to protect them, not have them protect us. That is not the spirit of the law,” — Israel Nature and Parks Authority officials

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• “With regard to the use made in the United States, it was noted that this was an experiment conducted for a short period and then discontinued,” — Neta Drori, attorney

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• “It apparently involved an area where crocodiles were already naturally present, and therefore there is no basis for comparison.” — Neta Drori

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• “In light of the above, our position is that the conditions required for a declaration under the law have not been met, and there is a legal impediment to advancing the declaration as requested.” — Neta Drori

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• “The minister is acting against her legal adviser, against the legal opinion of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, against the authority’s council and against the law,” — professional source

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