'Tiger Widows' of Bangladesh and India Are Shunned and Discriminated

'Tiger widows' -- wives named so after their husbands had
been killed by tigers in the Sunderbans forest in Bangladesh

Photo courtesy: www.thedailystar.net/

The Sunderbans mangrove forest, declared as a UN heritage site, encompasses a vast area of the South-western part of Bangladesh and the south-eastern part of India. This forest has tigers of several species, including the world-famous 'Royal Bengal Tiger,' deer, crocodiles, and other animals. Its waterways teem with different species of fishes. It is also famous for its valuable timber and honey. 

There are people who go to the forest to procure timber, honey, and fish. From time to time some of these people are attacked by tigers and killed. 

Their wives are blamed for their 'bad luck' and they are then shunned and discriminated against. 

The governments of Bangladesh and India and non-government organizations (NGOs) need to take action to properly educate the local people for dispelling their superstition and stigma against these widows. 

For more on the subject, please read the following:

• India Sunderban tiger widows: Big cats kill their husbands (Oct. 4, 2017)
• Tiger widows of the Sunderbans: Navigating ecology, beliefs and mental health (Dec. 28, 2018)
• Plight of the little-known 'tiger widows' of the Sunderbans (Feb. 14, 2019)
• The 'tiger widows' of India (June 19, 2019)
• 'Tiger widows' shunned as bad luck in rural Bangladesh (Feb. 18, 2020)