Police confiscate lemur and other exotic animals at Netanya home

During a house search in Netanya last night, police investigators stumbled upon a ring-tailed lemur, a species at risk of extinction, alongside several other exotic animals being held illegally.

This is the first time a ring-tailed lemur has been found kept in a private home in Israel, according to the Nature and Parks Authority. Police also found several finches, chameleons, and a stuffed deer’s head.

A ring-tailed lemur rescued by police during a search of a suspect’s house in Netanya on April 21, 2025. (Israel Police)

The animals were found as cops searched the home of a suspect thought to have helped plant a bomb that went off last week in the central town of Even Yehuda. Investigators also seized an airsoft gun and drugs from the suspect’s house.

Police transferred the animals to inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority.

According to Uri Laniel, who heads the authority’s Wildlife Trafficking Department, the lemur is in poor health after being kept in isolation and fed improperly.

“This is another grave case of animal abuse,” says Laniel, noting that the lemur is a “complex and sensitive animal” that should never be held in private homes.

He adds that the chameleons found are not native to Israel, and have the potential to be an invasive species, harming local wildlife.