The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court sentenced a man this week to 50 days in prison after he was convicted of holding protected wildlife without a permit: A grivet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops) and a chameleon lizard (Chamaeleo chamaeleon). The defendant confessed to the facts of the amended indictment as part of a plea bargain.
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered the defendant to pay a fine of NIS 10,000, along with suspended sentences and a NIS 50,000 financial undertaking to refrain from committing the offenses of which he was convicted for three years. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the animals so they remain in the state's care.
According to the amended indictment, during the summer of 2025, the defendant kept a grivet monkey inside a cage in his yard for at least a month, alongside a chameleon kept in an aquarium. Both animals were in poor condition and were held in captive conditions unsuitable for their needs and natural lives.
The monkey was tethered around its waist by a collar attached to a heavy iron chain. In addition, it was held inside a cage while restrained by a leash that restricted its natural freedom of movement. According to the indictment, the leash even caused wounds in its abdominal area. The chameleon was also in poor condition, held in conditions unsuitable for its needs, and was thin and weak.
The defendant was convicted of three offenses: Holding protected wildlife under the Wild Animals Protection Law, holding a protected natural asset, and harming a protected natural asset under the National Parks, Nature Reserves, National Sites and Memorial Sites Law.
'Protected wild animals are not pets'
The Nature and Parks Authority welcomed the sentence and emphasized the severity of holding wild animals without a permit, particularly when they are kept in conditions that harm their welfare.
Adv. Shai Peretz, chief prosecutor for the Nature and Parks Authority, said, "The sentence sends an important and clear message: Protected wild animals are not pets, and anyone who holds protected wildlife unlawfully needs to know that the outcome could be actual imprisonment."
"Imposing imprisonment behind bars in a case involving the holding of a monkey reflects the appropriate severity that should be attached to the unlawful holding of wild animals, certainly when done in conditions that harm their welfare," he said.
Peretz added that the authority will continue to act against the unlawful holding of and trade in wild animals, aiming to achieve substantial and deterrent punishment.
Authority warns of public health risks
Adva Peretz, a captive wildlife holding and trade inspector at the Nature and Parks Authority, said that in recent years there has been a noticeable increase in the holding of complex wild animals in captivity without permits and contrary to the law.
She said that in some cases, these are animals smuggled into Israel, which can also create a risk of introducing zoonotic diseases and parasites. "Wild animals are not pets," she stressed. "Holding them requires professional knowledge, suitable conditions, veterinary care, and tight supervision."
She added that when wild animals are held without a permit and in conditions not adapted to their needs, it can lead to severe harm to the animals and even cases of actual abuse. "This entire endeavor is done solely to allow a person to hold in their home or possession a wild animal that is not supposed to be there in the first place," she said. "The price can be heavy, both in terms of the risk to public health and in terms of severe harm to the animal."