Israel allows Nile crocodiles for prison security

Israel has amended its regulations on Nile crocodiles to allow their use for security purposes, including deterring prison escape attempts, AFP reported.

Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman reclassified Nile crocodiles from wild animals to "captive-bred wildlife," allowing security agencies to keep them under conditions set by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and with the minister's approval, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right leader, welcomed the decision. He had proposed as early as December that crocodiles be placed around prisons to discourage potential escape attempts by Palestinian inmates.

"Cursed terrorist, thinking about escaping? Think again," Ben Gvir wrote on Facebook alongside an AI-generated image showing him holding a crocodile on a leash.

According to Israeli media, Ben Gvir plans to deploy crocodiles around Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, where many Hamas members captured after the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war are being held.

Channel 13 reported that the Israel Nature and Parks Authority initially opposed the proposal. However, the new regulations have now taken effect, allowing the use of Nile crocodiles for security purposes under strict regulatory conditions.

Photo: Chat GPT