The Honey Hunters of the Sundarbans

What It Covers

Honey hunters in the Sundarbans mangrove forest risk death from Bengal tigers, crocodiles, and snakes to earn seventy to eighty dollars annually during three month gathering seasons.

Key Questions Answered

• •Economic desperation: Nearly fifty percent of Sundarbans residents live below India's poverty line, forcing twenty percent to depend on forest resources like honey, crabs, and fuel wood for survival despite deadly risks.
• •Tiger predation patterns: Sundarbans tigers have killed nearly fourteen hundred people over sixty three years, with eighty one percent of tigers killing multiple humans due to habitat loss, prey scarcity, and cyclone casualties creating scavenging opportunities.
• •Risk-reward imbalance: Mawali honey hunters earn only seventy to eighty dollars per year during gathering season while facing apex predators, yet Sundarban honey sells internationally for over fifty dollars per pound due to its unique saltwater ecosystem properties.