Environment Minister Pushes Ahead With Crocodile Transfer to Ketziot Prison Despite Court Injunction

Despite a court injunction halting the transfer of crocodiles to Ketziot Prison and strong professional opposition from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Nature and Parks Authority, Environment Minister Idit Silman and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir continue to advance the project. On Tuesday, Minister Silman sent a letter instructing the Nature and Parks Authority to establish guidelines for integrating crocodiles into the prison as part of the legal process required for the move.

In her letter, Silman justified the decision by citing a declared security need to hold crocodiles in the Israel Prison Service (IPS), specifically for a pilot program at Ketziot Prison for security prisoners. She emphasized the challenge posed by thousands of new inmates, including highly dangerous terrorists, entering prisons since October 7 and argued that crocodiles would assist the IPS. Silman dismissed concerns about animal welfare as excuses protecting terrorists.

The controversy began last month when Silman declared the Nile crocodile a "cultivated wild animal" to enable the IPS to place crocodiles around prisons, contradicting legal advice and expert opinions from environmental authorities. Professionals warn this unprecedented move lacks scientific basis and may violate the law. The Nature and Parks Authority stated such wild animals can only be held for education, research, or public awareness, not security purposes.

Silman’s reclassification revives a defunct legal category previously used for crocodile farming for commercial leather production, a practice halted due to escapes and ecological risks. By redefining the crocodile as a "cultivated wild animal for security needs," Silman effectively created a new legal category requiring primary legislation, not just regulation, to legitimize the project.

The ongoing push highlights a clash between security priorities and environmental law, with the government moving forward despite legal and professional warnings.