After Cat Feud, Jewish Settlers Push To Deport Crocodiles
Image by Getty Images
When an Israeli government minister shelved his controversial proposal to expel the country’s stray cats this week, it seemed local animals were safe.
But an Israeli municipal head has now suggested transferring crocodiles from the West Bank to a foreign country.
The Yafit settlement discovered a small croc on its grounds Wednesday, according to Haaretz. The reptile, like several before it, seems to have escaped from a crocodile farm on the nearby Moshav Fatzael in the Jordan Valley — though farm owner Gadi Bitan says it’s not his.
This wouldn’t be the first time the crocodiles have gone astray. The farm closed to tourists years ago, and some of Bitan’s crocodiles have escaped over the years — including several dozen in 2011, according to Haaretz.
David Alhayani, head of Jordan Valley Regional Council, told Haaretz: “For safety reasons we don’t want them around. I really don’t know what can be done with them and if there is any country willing to take in more than 1,000 crocodiles.
The coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories’ Office told Haaretz that the Civil Administration has long sought solutions to the problem but that Bitan has obstructed them.
Bitan tried to establish a crocodile park in Cyprus last year, Haaretz reported, but he has yet to receive the relevant licenses.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
