Gosaba, Sundarbans Even in murky, knee-deep water, Reena Sarkar is nimble on her feet as she navigates the slippery mudbanks of Chargiri village on Satjaliya Island in the Sundarbans. She is one of 150 local women who came to the dam, walking through dense forest, to plant 2,000 mangrove seedlings as part of a green initiative.
Sarkar, like many of her companions, is a “tiger widow,” a local woman whose husband was kidnapped by a Bengal tiger.
“In 2022, my husband Sudipto Sarkar went fishing and crabbing, and never came back. He was killed by a tiger,” her voice began to trail off.
According to locals, there are thousands of tiger widows in the vast Sunderbans, whose lives are plagued by social ostracism, financial instability and psychological distress.
The situation has worsened in recent years, with increasing instances of conflict between humans and tigers, primarily due to the negative effects of climate change.
Although there are legal provisions to provide compensation for wildlife-related deaths, and several NGOs and community initiatives to help tiger widows, these women still face challenges.
“Humans have three basic needs to survive: food, clothing and shelter,” says Debaruti Das, who works with Purbasha Eco Helpline, an NGO based in the Sunderbans. “However, there are not many sources of income in the Sunderbans, and here making a good life is almost impossible. Even if people somehow manage to build a house, the frequent cyclones that hit the area destroy them.”
A bad omen
Anima Mondal’s husband, a resident of Chargiri village, was killed by a leopard about 20 years ago when he went crab hunting, one of the few sources of income in the area, selling them for as much as $1,000. $800 per kilo.
The attack not only left Mondal without a husband, the family’s main breadwinner, but also turned her into an outcast. It was thought to be a bad omen and was labeled “swami kijo”, a congenital insult to the region, meaning “husband-eater”.
“Shunning tiger widows leads to isolation, without financial or social support,” says Das. “Recently, I found that the children of these women are not even allowed to see their mothers’ faces before they leave the house for work in the morning, as it is believed that it will bring bad luck.”
To make matters worse, many tiger widows are denied financial compensation for wildlife-related deaths under the Wildlife Act 1972.
“Since many men enter forests without official permits, their deaths are often deemed unlawful, depriving their families of government compensation,” says Umashankar Mandal, founder of PEHS.
This leaves many tiger widows vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Numerous studies have revealed instances of physical abuse, sexual exploitation, and trafficking in sex work.
Climate change adds to the distress
In recent years, the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, where about 4.5 million people live, has become a bastion of climate change, facing an existential threat from rising sea levels, more frequent and intense cyclones, and increasing water salinity. This has also led to an increased frequency of conflicts between humans and tigers, according to experts.
For example, in 2015-16, the 10,000 square kilometer area across the India-Bangladesh border had shrunk by 210 square kilometers since the 1960s due to sea level rise. The gradual decline in sediment flow from rivers into the Sundarbans also led to a loss of land mass.
“The habitats of both humans and tigers are becoming submerged due to sea level rise,” says Das. “When islands where tigers live are submerged, the animal moves to human-inhabited areas, leading to more attacks.”
The climate has increased water salinity, threatening the health of mangrove forests, soil quality and crops. This has also caused disruptions to fish populations in the area, affecting the livelihoods of residents who depend on them for income.
“In search of fish and crabs, villagers are forced to enter forests illegally and fall prey to tiger attacks,” says Das.
Every year, about 40 people are targeted by tigers in the region, according to an article published in the Asian Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies in March 2025.
This number is expected to rise, as no suitable habitat for tigers will be left in the Sundarbans by 2070 due to climate change and sea level rise, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.
Conservation efforts
To reduce the negative effects of climate change, Mandal and his organization, PEHS, have been planting mangrove saplings in the Sundarbans since 2009.
“Cyclone Aila in 2009 caused widespread devastation in my village of Chargiri,” says Mandal. “It was then that I realized the importance of mangroves, and decided to start planting and nurturing them.”
Mangrove forests act as a natural shield against cyclones, tidal waves, and coastal erosion. They can also be a rich carbon storehouse, a major driver of climate change.
According to Mandal, his organization has so far planted more than 1,120,000 mangrove saplings on six islands in the Sunderbans, with the help of 500 residents who also maintain these trees.
PEHS also works to support tiger widows and other community members by running a primary school and promoting sustainable sources of income, such as beekeeping.
However, the people of the Sunderbans will need more support to improve their quality of life.
“The Human Services Department helps us provide rations and plant mangroves,” says Sarkar. “But since my husband died, I no longer have enough money to support my children.”
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
