Cloth distribution to Tiger widows at Sundarbans, West Bengal

 

The Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest spanning India and Bangladesh, is not only home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) but also a socio-economically vulnerable human population. A tragic outcome of this coexistence is the emergence of “tiger widows”—women who have lost their husbands to tiger attacks during forest-dependent livelihood activities such as fishing, crab collection, and honey gathering. Tiger-widows faces multi-dimensional socio-economic challenges including poverty, social ostracism, and psychological trauma. Economic hardship remains a predominant issue, compounded by the lack of formal education, limited employment opportunities, and insufficient compensation mechanisms.

With our limited resources, this organization in collaboration with Purbasha Eco Helpline Society, arranged distribution of clothes among tiger-widows in some islands of Sundarbans in the month of September and October, 2024.