US EditionIsrael euthanizes crocodiles after repeated escapes and inhumane treatment
PETZAEL, WEST BANK, AUG 4 – Authorities euthanized 262 Nile crocodiles after veterinary experts confirmed severe neglect, cannibalism, and multiple escapes posed risks to residents, despite spending over $29,000 on fencing repairs.
- On Monday, Israeli authorities said government veterinarians culled 262 crocodiles after warnings they threatened residents and suffered from inhumane treatment.
- The Civil Administration and Nature and Parks Authority found crocodiles repeatedly escaped from the Petzael farm in the Jordan Valley, which operated without oversight or feeding, leading to cannibalism.
- Despite spending $56,400 on re-fencing, the Civil Administration's measures failed to provide hermetic protection due to legal protections for Nile crocodiles.
- Let the Animals Live condemned the culling as a cruel violation of Animal Welfare Law and called for an immediate investigation, critics say it breaches endangered species commitments.
- Local authorities warned that even one crocodile reaching the Jordan River could trigger a cross-border incident, and reserve soldiers described the farm as a ticking time bomb.
37 Articles
37 Articles
In a farm for crocodiles in the West Bank, conditions seem to be miserable: the Israeli authorities speak of abandoned enclosures and clearly too little food. As a consequence, the animals are killed - critics speak of a "massacre".
"It was an execution, plain and simple," the farm owner complained.
Hundreds of crocodiles have been neglected on a farm in Israel. Their fate has been uncertain since 2012, and now the animals have been killed.
Israel puts down over 250 crocodiles at abandoned West Bank farm, didn't tell owner
The farm, which had been operational for over two decades, closed to visitors during the Second Intifada, which ended in 2005, after a sharp decline in tourism. According to the owner of the farm, the IDF buried the crocodiles in an undisclosed location without notifying him
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