A crocodile was spotted in the Yarmuk River on the border between Israel and Jordan southeast of the Kinneret, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) said on Sunday after receiving a report from the IDF.
INPA officials checked with the Hamat Gader site located nearby, which is home to a crocodile farm with over 70 crocodiles.
The INPA also asked for special permission from the IDF to cross the border fence to investigate the rare sighting, as the fence is positioned on the river bank.
There not thought to be any danger to the Jordan Valley towns and kibbutzim, as the crocodile presumably will not be able to cross the border fence. In addition, the crocodile naturally prefers to stay in water and it is highly improbable for it to travel far across land, according to the INPA.
The INPA planned to conduct its search during the night as it is easier to locate and capture the crocodile because its eyes reflect searchlights and give away its position while being blinded by the light.
Many years ago, dozens of crocodiles escaped from a crocodile farm at Patzael in the Jordan Valley and one nearly managed to get to the swimming pool of nearby Moshav Yafit, but all were eventually recaptured.
In 2015, a crocodile again escaped the Patzael farm and was located in Yafit's palm tree plantation.
Rumors about a crocodile being spotted in the Kinneret have surfaced in the past, but those reports were found to be false.
Last November, a four-year-old boy was injured after being bitten in the hand by a crocodile while spending time at the Crocoloco Crocodile Farm in the Arava Desert in southern Israel.