PETZAEL: The Israeli army has killed 262 Nile crocodiles at a farm near the illegal settlement of Petzael in the occupied West Bank, sparking outrage from animal rights activists. The farm, established in the 1990s, was once a tourist site before being converted to breed crocodiles for their skin. It was shut in 2013 after the reptiles were classified as a protected species.
According to the Civil Administration, which oversees the West Bank, the reptiles posed a public safety threat due to poor conditions and the owner’s refusal to secure the compound. Officials claimed the abandoned farm lacked proper care, leaving the crocodiles hungry, leading to cannibalism.
Farm owner Gadi Bitan, who had run the site for 30 years, condemned the killings, calling them “an execution, plain and simple.” He said the animals were healthy, well-fed, and had never harmed anyone. He also claimed the military drained the lake, shot the crocodiles, and loaded their bodies onto trucks without warning him.
Animal rights group Let the Animals Live denounced the cull, calling it “violent and cruel” and noting that crocodiles had never attacked a human. The group accused the Parks and Nature Authority of routinely killing various animals in Israel, including pigs, dogs, wolves, and birds, and branded the policy “immoral, infuriating and heartbreaking.”
A local community leader had previously warned that an escape could cause an “international incident” given the farm’s proximity—just four miles—to the Jordanian border.
While authorities insist the cull was based on urgent veterinary advice, critics see it as a needless slaughter. Bitan estimated the farm once held around 800 crocodiles. The incident has reignited debate over Israel’s treatment of animals and the military’s authority in occupied territories.
-Inputs from Agencies
