Israel culls hundreds of protected crocodiles on settlement farm in occupied West Bank

Several hundred Nile crocodiles kept for decades on a farm in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West have been killed.

They were put down on Sunday by officials from the Civil Administration, the army's governing body in Palestinian territory, and the Nature and Parks Authority.

It claims this was necessary, citing threats to local residents and the inhumane conditions the animals were kept in.

But Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, is quoting the owner of the farm as saying the action was illegal and done without consulting him.

Initially opened as a tourist attraction, the crocodile farm in the town of Petzael was closed to visitors during the second Palestinian intifada which ended in 2005.

In 2012, Israel amended its laws to classify the Nile crocodile as a protected species under international treaties.

Since then, the owner says he has struggled to find a way to relocate the reptiles.

The Civil Administration says veterinarians were consulted on how to humanely exterminate the animals.