In a shocking operation, Israeli authorities gunned down 262 starving crocodiles at a derelict Jordan Valley farm, citing public danger — a move animal rights groups are calling a brutal betrayal of wildlife protection laws.
Jordan Valley — In a dramatic and highly controversial move, the Civil Administration has carried out the mass killing of 262 crocodiles at the long-abandoned Petzael farm in the Jordan Valley. The operation, conducted Sunday, was the final act in a decades-long saga of neglect, failed business ventures, and escalating public safety fears.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that urgent veterinary assessments had found the reptiles suffering from severe starvation and neglect. Many had begun cannibalizing one another, leaving numerous animals missing limbs. Compounding the crisis, crocodiles had repeatedly escaped the dilapidated facility, some venturing dangerously close to nearby communities.
From Tourist Attraction to Dangerous Time Bomb
Founded in the 1990s as a tourist draw, the farm spiraled into decline during waves of regional violence. Later attempts to transform it into a crocodile meat and leather enterprise collapsed when a 2012 Israeli law declared crocodiles a protected species, banning such trade. Export efforts — including a planned transfer to Cyprus — failed, and the population exploded unchecked.
With fences crumbling, the site became a magnet for thrill-seekers. Families wandered in freely, sometimes posing children next to the massive reptiles for photos. “People simply enter without any control,” one visitor told Mako. “It feels completely abandoned. It’s genuinely frightening.”
The dangers were not theoretical. In one notorious incident, 70 crocodiles escaped, sparking a frantic three-day capture mission. Authorities feared that even a single crocodile reaching the Jordan River could trigger an international incident.
No More Time to Wait
Reserve soldiers and local officials had long described the site as a ticking time bomb. With no viable relocation plan and repeated failures to secure the animals, the Civil Administration concluded that a full cull was the only option left to protect the public.
Outrage from Animal Rights Groups
Animal rights organization Let the Animals Live blasted the operation, calling it “a violent and cruel killing” that “violates every moral standard.” The group accused Israel of breaching its obligations under the international CITES agreement to protect endangered species, as well as the nation’s own Animal Welfare Law.
“An immediate investigation must be launched to determine who issued and approved this order,” the group demanded.
While officials insist the cull was necessary to eliminate a growing and unmanaged threat, critics say it marks a grim day for animal welfare — one where human failure sealed the fate of hundreds of captive creatures.
