Israel clears way for crocodiles to stop prison breaks

Israel's environment minister has reclassified crocodiles so that they can now be used for security purposes. Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reportedly wants them to surround a jail holding Hamas militants.

Israel's Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman has given a new classification to crocodiles in a move that will allow the reptiles to be deployed for security tasks, such as maintaining security at prisons.

The country's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, reportedly in December proposed using crocodiles around a prison for Palestinian detainees on the lines of the US migrant detention centre in Florida dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."

Nile crocodiles reclassified as security assets

The new classification puts crocodiles in the category "captive-bred wildlife" instead of wild animals, which transfers oversight of the animals from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to a "security body."

One such body is the Israel Prison Service, which answers to Ben-Gvir.

Israeli media reported that Ben-Gvir intends to use crocodiles to guard Ketziot prison in southern Israel, where many Hamas militants captured after the group's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel are being held.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ben-Gvir wrote: "Are you thinking of attempting to escape? Think again." He accompanied the post with an AI-generated image of himself with a crocodile on a leash.

Criticism of crocodile use

Israel's Channel 13 reported that the Israel Nature and Parks Authority spoke out against Ben-Gvir's proposal when he first put forward the idea last year.

The authority said wild animals should be kept only for research and educational purposes.

It also cited previous problems with bred crocodiles escaping into the wild and posing risks to human life.

Channel 13 also said the idea "met with ridicule by several officers" at the Israel Prison Service.