Why Some Animals And Plants Don’t Belong Everywhere

There are a lot of crazy headlines that come in from India, but this one would hop around the others and beat them flat.

Sample this: Kangaroos, the giant, hopping Australian animals, have been found roaming the streets near Siliguri, a sub-Himalayan town in West Bengal. Last month too, emaciated Kangaroos were found in the area, and before that, they were recovered at the Assam-Bengal border. Emaciated, injured, and looking like they hadn't eaten in days, three kangaroos were sent to an animal park. One had already died. Authorities say this suggests a pet or zoo smuggling racket.

WB | Forest officials rescued two Kangaroos near Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri.

The kangaroos had some serious injuries on their bodies & have been sent to Bengal Safari Park for further treatment. A team has been formed to probe the matter: S Dutta, RO, Belakoba Forest Range (01.04) pic.twitter.com/kT40YmyDmq

We are a world and ocean away from Down Under, where kangaroos are naturally found. But what seems like a mixup or misadventure masks a much bigger problem – we don't have a comprehensive plan to tackle ‘alien' animals and plants that often wreak untold havoc here in India. Yes, kangaroos are cute – but they also don't belong in Indian wilds. We don't know what damage they can do. There are already other alien species here in India which are doing damage.

Like the unassuming-looking, bushy plant with fragrant, bright clusters of flowers—the Lantana camara—which has destroyed forest land all over India by taking over the landscape and outperforming all other plants. In large parts of India, the invasive, South American Vilayati Kikar tree has replaced the native forest.

Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis Juliflora), an invasive tree which has taken over the Delhi Ridge. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

Water hyacinth (initially brought to India because of their beautiful flowers) rip wetlands of their oxygen content and displace other water plants which provide food and habitat to native wildlife. Unfortunately, the invasion threats are only mounting: following floods, now there are escaped piranhas in our waters, and giant Amazonian fish, the Arapaima in Kerala's rivers. Some animals were brought here as pets or illegal zoo animals (possibly the kangaroos) or showpieces (possibly, the arapaima). But they have all escaped the rounds of surveillance they should be subject to.

A recent paper by Alok Bang et al, 2022, published in the Biological Invasions journal has found that invasive species have cost the Indian economy between at least $127.3 billion to $182.6 billion or Rs 8.3-11.9 lakh crore over 1960–2020, and that these costs have increased with time. A lot of the costs are due to invasive alien species in semi-aquatic (that is wetland or water-based) ecosystems.

Think about this – we can easily spot (and to some extent, monitor) kangaroos. On the contrary, it's nearly impossible to monitor what gets into the water – and stays there, eating or displacing everything else.

Water hyacinth coats the surface of water like a mat, literally choking life out. Seen here towards the back of the image with its characteristic purple flowers. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

Biologically, an ‘alien' is a foreign creature, while an ‘invasive' is a more aggressive kind of an alien that can self-propagate and causes serious harm to local ecosystems—Lantana for example is considered one of the worst invasives on earth. Even domestic animals can be both alien and invasive – rats, dogs, and cats are known to decimate local wildlife.

For the first time though, there is an attempt at resolving these prickly issues. Last year, the government introduced an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 in the Lok Sabha. In this, it suggested a definition of invasive species. The definition said: “invasive alien species means a species of animal or plant which is not native to India and whose introduction or spread may threaten or adversely impact wild life or its habitat.”

The Common Myna is an alien pest in Australia. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

This is a good start. But the fact is that alien or invasive species do not follow patriotic borders. Even an Indian species can be invasive in another part of the country. For instance, the house crow, spotted all over the country, is an invasive species in the Andaman Islands. Here, the crow has been documented eating the chicks of other (rarer and native) wild birds. The question for our waters – now full of both aliens and invasives – is even more grim.

The Indian crow behaves like an invasive in many parts of India, wreaking havoc on other local wildlife. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

The Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill was considered by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment. Following representations from biologists, the committee in its final report has suggested a more inclusive, scientific definition of invasive species. It says that species could be alien and invasive as far as a particular ecosystem within the country is concerned and suggests creating law based on this definition.

There's a lot of ground to cover, and no time to lose. For example, In spite of being a vicious invasive, Lantana camara is easily found for sale in nurseries. Water hyacinths are regularly removed by forest departments to restore wetlands and waterbodies, but many other line departments are not even aware of the threat they pose. The aquarium and pet trade – one that may host both a small catfish or a huge arapaima – requires regulation.

Water hyacinth growing. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

When you travel to the West, you have to declare whether you are carrying fruits, seeds, plants, and animals. Under most circumstances, you won't be allowed to carry them – and even domestic pets are quarantined.

Indian animals that have gone to the West are aliens or invasives now – the Common Myna is a problem in Australia, and so is the Rose-Ringed Parakeet in London.

The Indian Rose-ringed parakeet is a pest in the United Kingdom. (Photographer: Neha Sinha)

In a particularly gruesome incident, Australia recently shot thousands of alien Asian camels following water shortages and bush fires.

It seems strange that a bit of Australian wildlife has now ended up in India, through means that are still unclear. I wonder if they came through the border in East India and whether there are still malnourished marsupials in the wild hopping about. Hopefully, the wildlife trafficking stops now – and a new, pragmatic law catches up.

Neha Sinha is a conservation biologist, and the author of ‘Wild and Wilful - Tales of 15 iconic Indian species'.

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of BQ Prime or its editorial team.

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