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One thousand crocodiles have been left homeless in the war-torn West Bank after a man's failed bid to open a tourist attraction.

The ill-fated attraction is causing a huge headache for authorities, as the 'escape artist' creatures are stranded with nowhere to go.

Israel's Defense Ministry was forced to admit it had no idea what to do with the snappy reptiles.

The Petza'el farm was originally set up with the intention of bringing holidaymakers to the region more than 20 years ago.

However, this went badly wrong.

(Image: www.alamy.com)

War meant that tourists stayed away, and the government had to step in back in 2012, when 70 crocodiles managed to escape.

Now, the Times of Israel reports, a fresh solution has been turned down.

Owner Gadi Bitan - who had hoped to sell the crocs for their skin before a new law made this illegal - was attempting to move the reptiles to a new home in Cyprus.

But perhaps unsurprisingly, locals in Achna, where the crocodile farm would have been located, objected.

In a statement, the Civil Adminstration department said: “The Civil Administration continues to work to solve the issue of the crocodiles. To our sorrow, despite the repeated attempts, we have not yet found a suitable place."

David Elhayani heads the Regional Council in the Jordan Valley, where the crocodiles currently live.

He was quoted by Isra as saying: "I do not want to think what will happen if a crocodile manages to escape and get into the Jordan River."

Speaking this week, he said this could cause an "international incident".