A controversial proposal to use Nile crocodiles as a security measure around Israeli prisons holding terrorist inmates has sparked a growing dispute after Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman approved a legal designation intended to advance the plan despite objections from her ministry’s legal adviser and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Silman declared the Nile crocodile a “cultivated wild animal,” a classification designed to allow the Israel Prison Service to deploy crocodiles around correctional facilities. The decision was made over the objections of both the ministry’s legal counsel and the professional recommendations submitted by wildlife experts.

The initiative began several months ago after the Ministry of National Security reportedly pressed the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to permit the transfer of crocodiles from the Hamat Gader park for use around prisons housing security prisoners. The pilot program was reportedly slated to begin at Ketziot Prison.

Last month, the ministry’s legal adviser, attorney Neta Drori, sent Silman a sharply worded letter arguing that there was no factual or professional basis for moving forward with the proposal. She wrote that there is no recognized precedent for using crocodiles as a security measure at modern correctional facilities.

“With regard to the use that was made in the United States, it was noted that this was an experiment for a short period that was discontinued. Apparently, this involved an area where crocodiles were naturally present, and therefore there is no basis for comparison,” the letter stated.

Drori also argued that the proposal requires extensive review from an animal welfare standpoint. She wrote, “Although Israel Prison Service officials stated that they are aware of and prepared to ensure the animals’ physical welfare, among other things based on their experience handling dogs, it appears that the organization has no expertise in raising dangerous wild animals such as crocodiles.”

The legal adviser concluded that the proposal could not legally proceed, writing, “In light of this, our position is that the legal conditions required for such a declaration have not been met, and there is therefore a legal impediment to advancing the declaration as requested.”

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority reached a similar conclusion. In an opinion submitted to the ministry’s legal adviser, the authority’s chief prosecutor, attorney Shay Peretz, wrote that “no sufficient professional basis was found to approve the keeping of crocodiles at security facilities in Israel, regardless of the legal mechanism through which such keeping would be authorized.”

The authority’s professional assessment was unequivocal, stating: “The very introduction of a large, dangerous, long-lived and non-native wild animal into a complex operational security system creates a range of significant risks that do not allow, from a professional standpoint, a recommendation to advance the program.”

Dr. Noam Lider, head of the Ecology Department in the authority’s Science Division, also raised concerns about the welfare of the animals. He wrote, “The use of crocodiles as a means of security or deterrence goes beyond the purposes for which wild animals are commonly kept and creates an inherent concern that security and operational needs will outweigh the welfare, veterinary care and maintenance required throughout the many decades of the animal’s life.”

The opinion further warned that even the escape of a single crocodile could create an ongoing environmental and public safety hazard. “A crocodile that reaches a drainage system, reservoir, stream, fish pond or other body of water could survive for a long time, be difficult to locate and capture, prey on native wildlife and endanger the public,” the report stated.

Officials noted that Nile crocodiles had previously been designated as cultivated wild animals to allow commercial farming for their skins. That effort ultimately resulted in numerous problems, including crocodile escapes and fears that the reptiles would establish themselves in the wild and endanger the public. Former Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan later ended the practice based on the recommendation of the advisory committee of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Despite the legal and professional objections, Silman chose to move forward with the plan. She said a senior professional at the Nature and Parks Authority had indicated there was no opposition to the Prison Service initiative and that a previously approved legal framework already existed.

Silman argued there is a fundamental distinction between the unsuccessful commercial crocodile operations of the past and having Israel’s prison service—an agency responsible for preventing dangerous terrorists from escaping—oversee the reptiles while complying with the authority’s requirements.

As part of the move, the minister effectively created a new legal classification of “cultivated wild animal for security purposes,” reviving a dormant provision of Israel’s Wildlife Protection Law.

Environmental and animal welfare organizations have sharply criticized the proposal. Let the Animals Live, the IDF Veganism Promotion Headquarters, Animals, and the Keren Or Rescue Farm said in a joint statement: “We strongly oppose the use of animals as a means of guarding and deterrence. Crocodiles are sentient animals with complex needs for space, water, temperature and natural behavior. It is highly doubtful that placing them in prisons can comply with Israel’s Animal Welfare Law.”

The groups also pointed to the mass killing of crocodiles at a Jordan Valley breeding facility, saying, “We have already seen where this leads: At the Petzael farm, hundreds of crocodiles were slaughtered for no reason after being imported for leather production. We must not create the next failure.”

They added, “Today there are countless real security measures available—cameras, sensors, electronic fences and guard towers—so there is no justification for using crocodiles. It is also highly doubtful that the crocodiles intended for this purpose have aggressive temperaments, and in any event, during the winter they slow their metabolism dramatically, become very sluggish and stop eating.”

The organizations concluded with a warning: “Security should be achieved through real security measures, not through animals. We are considering filing a petition with the High Court of Justice over the matter.”

{Matzav.com}