{"id":571822,"date":"2026-04-08T13:14:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/571822\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:14:17","slug":"officials-in-india-consider-filling-rivers-with-crocodiles-and-snakes-for-border-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/571822\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials in India Consider Filling Rivers with Crocodiles and Snakes for Border Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n

India is exploring using crocodiles and venomous snakes as a “biological barrier” along unfenced border areas with Bangladesh<\/p>\n

Officials are assessing the feasibility of this plan in flood-prone regions where traditional fencing is difficult to construct<\/p>\n

Wildlife experts warn that the proposal could harm ecosystems and pose safety risks to local communities near the border<\/p>\n

India is considering an unconventional proposal for border enforcement that includes deploying crocodiles and venomous snakes along river-lined stretches of its border with Bangladesh, where building fencing is difficult.<\/p>\n

According to the Independent<\/a>, the proposal is being discussed internally by the Border Security Force (BSF) as an alternative to physical barriers in flood-prone and marshy terrain. While India has invested heavily in border fencing, roughly 20% of the border remains open. Of the roughly 530 miles still unfenced, about 110 miles are considered unsuitable for construction due to shifting waterways and flooding risks.<\/p>\n

Conversations about introducing reptiles into the area reportedly appeared in internal notes, including a March 26 communication from BSF headquarters asking field units to determine whether the plans were feasible from an “operational perspective.”<\/p>\n

\"Border<\/p>\n

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel inspect a truck carrying supplies to Bangladesh at the India-Bangladesh border on August 7, 2024
Credit: DIPTENDU DUTTA\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n

Reporting from The Times<\/a> and local outlets indicates that the proposal has been framed as a potential “biological barrier.” Northeast News<\/a> reported discussions date back to at least early February, when BSF director-general Praveen Kumar chaired a meeting on the issue.<\/p>\n

The proposal remains in its early stages, as officers have already flagged significant challenges, including risks to local communities and the difficulty of controlling animals in open river systems.<\/p>\n

Wildlife experts have also warned that introducing or concentrating predators could disrupt ecosystems and create unintended safety hazards.<\/p>\n

The development comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government continue to take a hardline stance on illegal immigration. Authorities have expanded surveillance measures in recent years, including the use of drones and infrared cameras.<\/p>\n

Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n

While the reptile deployment proposal has drawn global attention, officials stress it remains under review as one of several strategies being explored.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEED TO KNOW India is exploring using crocodiles and venomous snakes as a “biological barrier” along unfenced border…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[251930,251932,251931,2344,79,17536,201,55483],"class_list":{"0":"post-571822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-biological-barrier","9":"tag-border-fencing","10":"tag-border-security-force","11":"tag-india","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-venomous-snakes","14":"tag-wildlife","15":"tag-wildlife-experts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}