Every year in Sundarban - the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world spanning Bangladesh and India in the Bay of Bengal - local villagers and fisherman collect wild honey amidst the lurking panthera tigris tigris, or more commonly known as the Royal Bengal Tiger.
My curiosity about this topic began several years on a trip to Bangladesh, when JV and I bought a jar of wild honey originating from Sundarban from a souvenir store in Dhaka. I remember its unique taste, caramel color, and atypical liquid texture than other honey we had tasted before. Prior to this, I didn't know honey was produced in the Sundarban, and wondered: what's the story behind this jar?
In Bangla, “sundar” (prounounced shundor) means beautiful, while “ban” (pronounced bon) is forest, though other theories exist about the origin of the name, related to the flora and fauna. Nearly 4.5 million people live in the Sundarban forest area and its complex network of islands, which spreads out covering more than 10,000 square km (10, 13). This is a place that is continuously being reshaped by the Indian Ocean and plays a vital role in protecting millions of people in and around the area from cyclones and floods. Besides its famous tigers, there is an abundance of flora and fauna in Sundarban including many species of birds, snakes, freshwater dolphins, otters, crocodiles and spotted deer. Current estimates range, and indicate that between 100-250 Royal Bengal Tigers are living within the Sundarban forest (a UNESCO World Heritage site) spread across both Bangladesh and India. Although the numbers have diminished over the years and was surprising to me, this area is still considered to have one of the largest concentrations of tigers in the world.
The annual migration of the giant honeybee apis dorsata to the Sundarban forest takes place beginning in December every year. Around February, the forest begins to bloom and by the end of April, honey is ready to be harvested. Since mangrove forest trees don't grow that tall, the honeybees usually build their large, single-comb nests exposed fairly low to the ground, within reach of the honey hunters (2). National and local authorities issue permits for honey collection in the Sundarbans, from April to June every year. Generation after generation, fisherman and villagers living in poverty have been collecting this mangrove honey, which can be composed of nectar from up to 20 species of flowers. These traditional wild honey collectors of Sundarban are called moulis.
Moulis live on their boats during their honey collection excursions, fully equipped with all that they need. During the night, they anchor their boat in the river as far as possible from the forest since tigers are strong swimmers, and have been known to attack at night (2). Going from island to island around the mangrove, moulis search for the large beehives of the apis dorsata that can be as large as 4 feet wide with thousands of wild bees buzzing inside. If they spot a hive, they first cover their faces with gamchas, traditional thin cotton towels in checkered weaving. They then climb and smoke out the hive using a lit bundle of dried date palm leaves. This technique confuses the bees, reduces the bees stinging and gives the moulis time to take the honeycombs back to the boat where the honey is gathered into a barrel. Moulis repeat this process several times until they have enough honey to share amongst the group, and typically gather honey for about three weeks (8). After all of these risky efforts, moulis earn under $100 each during a season, depending on how much honey they were able to collect.
The most interesting thing I learned about is the role that ancient customs play behind the scenes during the honey collection process (4, 8, 9). The people of Sundarban believe that their principal deity, Dakkhin Rai (translates to Lord of the South), lives in the forest in the form of the Bengal Tiger. Bon Bibi (Lady of the Forest) is an equally important jungle deity, and protects people from Dakkhin Rai. The two are eternally at war with each other, but locals revere both and seek their protection. At a small simple shrine set up before entering the forest, every mouli deeply prays for the blessings of Bon Bibi and her protection from tigers and other dangers, making offerings of sweets and fruit. As they set off into the forest after, the moulis commonly wear a mask with Dakkhin Rai’s face on the back of their heads to confuse and ward off tiger attacks, since tigers attack their prey from behind. These traditions of worshipping side by side across religious lines speaks to the deep respect and connection to nature that the people of Sundarban have.
To protect moulis while they're away collecting honey, the women of Sundarban uphold certain practices and rules such as: dressing in traditional mourning clothes, refraining from combing their hair, eating only vegetarian food, avoiding lighting fires to cook during the day, and leaving their doors open (6, 8, 9). Unfortunately, these customs are not always enough for protection. Tiger widows (or bagh bidhoba) are women who lose their husbands in tiger attacks. An estimated 3,000 tiger widows face significant social and financial consequences as a result of their personal tragedy (1). They are usually not allowed to work in typical roles like agriculture, fishing and crab collection in the region to support themselves and their children. Furthermore, if the tiger attack death is a result of entering the forest without a permit, the family of the deceased does not qualify for any government financial support (3).
Besides facing so many odds just to make a living like wild beehives, tiger attacks, venomous snakes, or crocodiles in the muddy waters, moulis also face the threat of dakats (bandits). Bandits and pirates roam the Sundarbans region in boats during honey collection season and often steal honey from moulis or even kidnap them (9). Sundarban honey is in high demand due to its purity and multi-flower flavor, and the risks and deaths involved in its collection have contributed to its reputation as “blood honey”.
After reading about the plight of honey collectors and the people of Sundarban, I wanted to learn more about what’s being done to make things better. I learned that there are actually efforts being made to allow honey collectors to do their jobs, but in a much safer way (10; 13). Several local organizations have introduced and trained local villages in apiculture, or simply – beekeeping. The apiary boxes (essentially human-made beehives) are located within the forest, but in secured and fenced-off areas, preventing many of the natural occupational hazards that moulis face when they gather honey in the wild forest. The results have been positive overall: the daily harvest of honey is nearly double of what is gathered from wild beehives, and since the bees still collect pollen from the same flowers in the mangrove, the honey retains a similar flavor and quality as well. These apiaries can also help local residents earn a steadier income without risking their lives. Moulis are often untrained how to correctly gather honey without killing the bees and their larvae from the wild beehives, which has accumulative consequences for the bee population and overall ecosystem. Initiatives could tackle this with proper education of handling the honey gathering within the apiculture context, and encourage further protection of the Sundarban ecology (10).
I think back to the jar of wild honey we bought in Dhaka - now I have mixed feelings after becoming aware of the the story behind it. Enmeshed in a cycle of generational poverty, severe financial struggles and limited employment options, villagers and fisherman of the Sundarban will probably continue this dangerous profession to survive in the foreseeable future. I really hope alternative methods like apiculture will become more widespread. The people and communities of Sundarban have deep traditional knowledge and ties with their environment, so any conservation effort needs to be balanced and respectful of this connection.
Sources and Further Reading Below are the sources I used to learn and write about this fascinating topic. Take a look if you want to learn more:
Bhaduri, T. (2020) Buzz of hope: After numerous tiger encounters, traditional honey gatherers of the Sundarbans get a new lease of life. Gaon Connection. Photography by Tanmoy Bhaduri.
Burgett, M (2000) Honey hunters of the Sundarbans Bees. Development Journal Edition 56 - September 2000.
DasGupta, A. (2023). Tiger widows of the Sundarbans: how religion and myth stigmatise human-wildlife conflict. KCL.
Ethirajan, A. (2011) Honey collecting in the Sundarbans is a risky business. BBC.
Kabir, I. (2016). Honey Hunting in Sundarban. The Daily Star.
Kothari, N. (2015) The Plight of the Honey Collectors in Sundarban: Challenges, Uncertainties Strategies and Survival. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science: Volume 20, Issue 2, Ver. II (Feb. 2015), 56-59.
National Geographic Education (2023) Tigers in the Sundarbans Video - October 19, 2023.
Roundglass Sustain (2023) Photo Story: Risk, Ritual, and Survival: The Honey Gatherers of the Sundarbans. Photography by Dhritiman Mukherjee.
Royal Bee Brothers (2023) From the Land of Dakshin Rai and Bon Bibi.
Sakib, SM. (2021) Hunger for coveted honey posing threat to Bangladesh's Sundarbans. Anadolu Agency.
Sinha, D. (2021) ‘Blood honey’ is a booming business and the rising demand is changing the lives of moulis in Sundarbans. Business Insider India: Sep 05 2021.
WWF (2022) In the Sundarbans, local communities harvest honey and protect tigers.
WWF (2023) A Safe Alternative to “Blood Honey”.
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