Who are the “husband-eaters” of Sundarbans?

After experiencing the tragedy of losing their spouse and primary provider to the formidable predator of the Sundarbans, women find themselves ostracized by their superstitious communities. Nonetheless, they are banding together to reconstruct their shattered lives.

The exact events leading up to Aziz Murad’s demise remain shrouded in mystery. When his companions returned to the boat where they had left him, they discovered only his severed hand entangled in the fishing net he had been untying.

Conflicts between humans and wildlife are escalating globally due to factors such as habitat depletion, burgeoning populations, and the climate crisis, which incite competition for fertile, habitable territories. In the Sundarbans, situated on the southern coast of Bangladesh, an estimated 300 individuals and 46 tigers have lost their lives in human-tiger conflicts since 2000.

The Sundarbans in Bangladesh stands as the world’s largest continuous mangrove forest, recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. This intricate labyrinth of islands, winding waterways, and mudflats serves as the habitat for a diverse array of flora and fauna, including a significant population of Bengal tigers, one of the world’s most endangered species.

Projections suggest that due to climate change and rising sea levels, the Sundarbans will no longer provide suitable habitat for tigers by 2070. The latest census, anticipated in July, is expected to reveal further declines in tiger numbers, with the last count estimating only 114 remaining, down from 440 in 2004. However, it’s not just the tigers facing an existential threat; over 3.5 million people residing in the vicinity of the Sundarbans endure precarious livelihoods, dependent on fishing, honey or wood collection, and subsistence farming. The already challenging circumstances have been exacerbated by the climate emergency, with over 40% of households below the poverty line.

Rising sea levels result in the disappearance of islands, heightened water salinity threatening mangrove health, and compromised soil and crop quality. Disruptions in fish populations pose dire consequences for local communities, often compelling villagers to venture deeper into the forest, rendering them more susceptible to tiger attacks. The rampant exploitation of the forest compels tigers to seek food beyond their habitat, targeting livestock and humans.

The Bangladesh government has initiated the construction of a 40-mile fence to segregate tiger and human territories, alongside establishing 49 tiger-response teams to mitigate conflict. These teams, in collaboration with the Forest Department, aim to scare tigers back into the forest, monitor human-tiger conflicts, and prevent retaliatory killings of tigers. Despite these efforts, tragedies like the loss of Aziz Murad persist.

In the coastal sub-district of Khulna, specifically in Koyra, Shuna Banu, 43, Aziz Murad’s widow, reflects on the life-altering event that unfolded on a crisp spring morning. Although tiger attacks are not uncommon in the area, nothing could prepare her for the anguish that followed that fateful day.

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