New Delhi, India – Indian officials have floated a controversial plan to introduce apex predators such as crocodiles and venomous snakes into riverine stretches along the Bangladesh border, to act as natural deterrents against undocumented migration and smuggling in places where erecting fencing is difficult.India’s 4,096km-long (2,545-mile) border with Bangladesh runs through some challenging terrain – and New Delhi has found some stretches impossible to fence.In an internal communication dated March 26, India’s Border Security Force (BSF), which patrols international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, ordered personnel at its headquarters on the eastern and northeastern fronts to explore “the feasibility of deploying reptiles in vulnerable riverine gaps”.The government’s latest move to fence the border with Bangladesh has alarmed human rights activists and wildlife conservationists alike in India.What are the risks of such a move for local communities on both sides of the border – and for the ecosystem of the region? A view of the river flowing through Petrapole, close to the India-Bangladesh international border, in India on October 16, 2024 [Sahiba Chawdhary/Reuters]Why does India’s border force want to deploy killer wildlife?The India-Bangladesh border runs along the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram. There is difficult and unforgiving terrain in these areas, passing through hills, rivers and valleys.New Delhi has fenced nearly 3,000km of the border. But the remaining stretches include marshy and riverine areas with local populations living on either side. Advertisement In its recent communicati …
