Silman labels Nile crocodile cultivated wild animal to back Ben-Gvir prison plan

The environmental protection minister altered the reptile status to support National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposed crocodile prison initiative.

ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

JULY 17, 2026 10:34

Updated: JULY 17, 2026 11:02

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman classified the Nile crocodile as a cultivated wild animal in an action designed to permit the Israel Prison Service to position crocodiles near prisons, even after objections from her ministry legal adviser and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Ynet reported on Thursday.

Silman made the classification to support National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir effort to create his suggested crocodile prison. Several months earlier, pressure was applied to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to let the National Security Ministry obtain crocodiles from Hamat Gader and place them around prisons that hold security prisoners. The effort was planned to start at Ketziot Prison.

The Nature and Parks Authority stated the idea was impractical since such wild animals can be kept only for educational, research, and public information reasons.

Officials attempted to clarify to Ben-Gvir and Silman that protection of the animals is required rather than using them for protection, noting this approach conflicts with the law intent.

To gain approval for the plan, officials requested the Nile crocodile be designated a cultivated wild animal. Crocodiles received this status earlier to permit commercial breeding for their skins.

Legal concerns over the crocodile prison proposal

Previous crocodile farming produced multiple issues, such as escapes into natural areas and threats to human safety. Former environmental protection minister Gilad Erdan halted the activity after advice from the Nature and Parks Authority plenum advisory committee.

Silman effectively revived an unused provision in the Wildlife Protection Law. She effectively established a fresh category for a cultivated wild animal held for security reasons. Her statement indicated the animals would be managed by a security body, contingent on the environmental protection minister approval of the security requirement.

The action therefore exceeds a regulation and would need primary legislation instead of a ministerial choice.

The Environmental Protection Ministry legal adviser, attorney Neta Drori, informed Silman last month that professional and factual support was lacking to follow the minister preference. She noted no established professional example exists for employing crocodiles as a security feature at modern prisons, unlike the Prison Service assertion of prior use in the US and South America.

Regarding application in the United States, records showed it was a brief experiment that ended quickly. It apparently occurred in a region where crocodiles already live naturally, so direct comparison is invalid, Drori wrote.

The ministry legal adviser indicated the Prison Service request also needed thorough review of animal welfare and public safety matters.

Although Prison Service staff claimed they understand and can maintain the animals physical welfare, partly drawing from their work with dogs, the group lacks experience with dangerous wild animals such as crocodiles, she wrote.

Drori further noted the legal steps would require input from groups including the Nature and Parks Authority plenum and relevant government officials, plus public notice of the proposal. This step was essential because professional staff viewed crocodile farming as carrying major risks.

She ended her letter with a direct statement that conditions for a declaration under the law were not satisfied and a legal barrier prevented advancing the declaration as requested.

Silman ignored legal adviser stance

Silman chose to set aside the legal adviser stance, claiming a senior professional official at the Nature and Parks Authority indicated the authority did not object to the Prison Service proposal and that an approved prior framework was available.

Several weeks earlier, Ben-Gvir and Silman met with the Nature and Parks Authority director-general and the Environmental Protection Ministry legal adviser and expressed their desire to place crocodiles around a prison. The legal adviser stated clearly that this step was impossible and no legal power existed to approve it, yet Silman continued.

The Nature and Parks Authority plenum is scheduled to meet soon, and the matter will be discussed again after Silman bypassed her own ministry legal adviser.

The minister is proceeding against her legal adviser, against the legal view of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, against the authority plenum, and against the law. Thus, no legal foundation supports this action, a professional official said.

Silman had not provided a response at the time of publication.