Rising seas, rising conflict: How climate change is worsening the plight of Sundarbans’ ‘tiger widows’

According to locals, there are thousands of tiger widows in the expansive Sunderbans region — their lives riddled with social ostracisation, financial instability, and psychological distress

Kolkata, February 21, 2026, dmanewsdesk: In India’s fragile delta, climate change is compounding the hardships of “tiger widows” — women whose husbands were killed by Royal Bengal tigers — as rising seas, shrinking habitats and economic distress push more families into danger.

Even in knee-deep murky waters, Rina Sarkar moves deftly across the slippery mudbanks of Chargheri village on Satjalia island in the Sundarbans. She is among 150 women who recently walked through dense forest to an embankment to plant 2,000 mangrove saplings under a local green initiative.

Sarkar, like many of the women beside her, is a “tiger widow” — a term used in the region for women whose husbands have been taken by the Bengal tiger.

“In 2022, my husband Sudipto Sarkar went to catch fish and crabs, and never returned. He was killed by a tiger,” her voice trails off.

Across the vast Sundarbans delta, thousands of such women live with social stigma, economic precarity and deep psychological trauma. Locals say the crisis has worsened in recent years as climate change intensifies human-tiger conflict.

Though compensation mechanisms exist for wildlife-related deaths and several non-government organisations (NGOs) run support programmes, many widows continue to struggle for financial and social security.

Debaroti Das of the Sunderbans-based NGO Purbasha Eco Helpline Society (PEHS) says, “Human beings have three basic needs for survival: food, clothes, and shelter. In the Sunderbans, however, there are not many sources of income; here, attaining a quality life is near impossible. Even if people somehow manage to build a house, frequent cyclones that hit the region destroy them.”

Social stigma and denied compensation

For Anima Mondal of Chargheri village, the loss of her husband to a tiger attack two decades ago meant not just the death of the family’s breadwinner but also social exile. Her husband had gone to catch crabs — among the few viable sources of income in the region, fetching up to Rs 800 per kg.

Widows like her are often branded as inauspicious and called “swami-khejo”, a local slur meaning “husband-eater”.

Das says, “The ostracisation of tiger widows leads to isolation, without financial or social support. I recently found that sons of these women are not even allowed to see the face of their mothers before they leave home for work in the morning, as it is believed that it would bring bad luck.”

Many are also excluded from government compensation under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Umashankar Mandal, founder of PEHS, says, “Since many men enter the forests without official permits, their deaths are often considered illegal, disqualifying their families from receiving government compensation.”

With little institutional backing, several widows remain vulnerable to exploitation. Studies have documented cases of physical abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking into sex work.

Climate change accelerates conflict

The Sundarbans — the world’s largest mangrove forest, home to around 4.5 million people — is increasingly bearing the brunt of climate change. Rising sea levels, more frequent and intense cyclones, and growing salinity have altered both ecology and livelihoods.

Between 2015 and 2016, the 10,000 sq km region spanning the Indo-Bangladesh border had already shrunk by 210 sq km since the 1960s due to rising sea levels. Reduced sediment flow from rivers has further eroded land mass.

Das says, “Habitat for both humans and tigers is getting submerged due to rising sea level. When the islands where tigers live submerge, the animal moves to human-inhabited areas, resulting in more number of attacks.”

Salinity intrusion has also damaged mangrove health, degraded soil quality and disrupted fish populations — directly affecting communities dependent on fishing and crab collection.

“In search of fish and crabs, village residents are forced to enter forests illegally, and fall prey to tiger attacks,” Das says.

An article published in the Asian Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies in March 2025 estimates that around 40 people are attacked by tigers in the region each year. A 2019 study in the journal Science of The Total Environment warned that by 2070, rising seas could leave no viable tiger habitat in the Sundarbans, potentially worsening the crisis.

Mangroves as a shield

In response, PEHS has focused on mangrove restoration since 2009 to mitigate climate impacts.

Mandal says, “Cyclone Aila in 2009 caused large-scale destruction in my village, Chargheri. It was then that I realised the significance of mangroves, and decided to start planting and nurturing them.”

Mangroves act as natural buffers against cyclones, tidal surges and coastal erosion, while also serving as significant carbon sinks.

According to Mandal, PEHS has planted more than 1,120,000 mangrove saplings across six islands with the support of 500 residents who help maintain them. The organisation also runs a primary school and promotes sustainable livelihoods such as beekeeping to reduce forest dependency.

Yet for many widows, survival remains uncertain.

Sarkar says, “PEHS helps us with rations and planting mangroves. But since my husband has died, I have not had enough money to support my children.”

Source: The Telegraph online