Rooted in Resilience- Tiger Widows Restoring the Sundarbans

Women collecting mangrove saplings in the Sundarbans.

The Sundarbans is an immense expanse of mangrove forest, threaded by a labyrinth of tidal channels where the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers converge before meeting the Bay of Bengal. Spanning the border between India and Bangladesh, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world’s richest and most fragile ecosystems. It is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife, including a population of tigers unlike any other. In this watery realm, tigers have adapted to an amphibious existence, swimming vast distances between forested islands in pursuit of prey such as fish and crabs. With an estimated 125 tigers living across the region in Bangladesh and around 88 on India's side, their population remains resilient. Yet as deforestation accelerates and human settlements push ever closer to the forest’s edge, encounters between people and predators have become increasingly unavoidable. Official records of such conflicts are limited, but estimates suggest that 300 people and 46 tigers have lost their lives over the years. Most of the human victims are men who enter the forest to fish or to gather honey and firewood. Their absence is etched into village life through the presence of so-called “tiger widows.” Known locally as swami khejos, or “husband eaters,” these women have long been burdened with stigma, blamed for tragedies beyond their control. Branded as outcasts, many are denied livelihoods and excluded from government compensation, particularly where deaths are linked to illegal forest entry. Left with little means of support, they must navigate a life shaped by loss and isolation. Among them is Malati Mondal, whose husband was killed by a tiger nearly a decade ago while fishing in the creeks of the Sundarbans.

A tiger wearing a radio collar on a riverbank in the Sundarbans, having been released by wildlife officials after being caught too close to human habitation.

But a new conservation effort is beginning to shift that story. Designed to support tiger widows and their families, the initiative seeks not only to restore livelihoods and dignity, but also to heal the fragile environment on which both people and wildlife depend. Known as Mountains to Mangroves, the program is led by Conservation International and stretches from the Himalayas to the Sundarbans, with the ambitious goal of restoring one million hectares of forest. In the Sundarbans, its work is centred on the Jharkhali region along the Matla River. Here, the project is being led by 26-year-old Shahif Ali, founder of i-Behind The Ink, a social enterprise running a youth-led rewilding initiative. Ali has brought together tiger widows and other local women to revive 100 hectares of mangrove forest. At present, more than 100,000 native mangrove saplings are being planted across 40 hectares of coastline between the villages of Laskarpur and Vivekananda Palli. Raised and carefully tended by the women over the past six months, the young trees are now being set along a single embankment—the community’s only defence against rising seas and storm-driven floods. The aim is to regenerate dense mangrove cover lost to farming and fishing, while strengthening natural protection against cyclones that are growing ever more frequent and intense as the climate warms. The restored forest is also expected to slow the spread of saltwater intrusion, which threatens mangrove health, degrades farmland, and disrupts fish populations. Over time, as fish return, both people and predators may find more abundant food—reducing the likelihood of conflict. Malati Mondal is one of seven tiger widows currently taking part among a group of 59 women. Twenty more widows are set to join later this month, and according to Ali, interest is growing rapidly. The women earn around 300 rupees a day—modest by most measures, he says, but enough to bring meaningful change.

An aerial view of a fishing boat in the Sundarbans. Fishermen who venture deep into the forests are at risk of tiger attacks.

There is a quiet power in the fact that women who once lost their husbands to tigers are now helping to safeguard the future of the Sundarbans. Through their work, mangrove forests are beginning to recover, livelihoods are being rebuilt, and dignity—long denied—is slowly being restored. Paid for their labour and recognised for their contribution, these women are reclaiming a place within their communities. Mountains to Mangroves is not the only effort breathing new life into this landscape. In 2005, a local organisation known as Jharkhali Sabuj Bahini—the Jharkhali Green Army—was founded by Akul Biswas, a visually impaired environmentalist who found purpose in tree plantation. What began with roadside planting took on new urgency after Cyclone Aila struck in 2009, revealing the vital role mangroves play in shielding the land from saltwater intrusion and flooding. Biswas launched a campaign to restore mangrove cover, drawing in villagers from all walks of life—children, people with disabilities, homemakers, and tiger widows among them. Over time, their efforts spread beyond Jharkhali, inspiring neighbouring communities to join the movement. Together, these initiatives offer a measure of hope for the Sundarbans’ long-term survival. Restoring this fragile ecosystem is not only about protecting forests or wildlife, but about rebuilding lives and easing decades of conflict. If the mangroves can recover, there is a chance that people and predators alike may once again learn to share this shifting, water-bound world.                

Operation Thunder- A Global Manhunt for Wildlife Traffickers

A caged monkey holding a human hand.

For the ninth year running, a vast international crackdown known as Operation Thunder has swept across the globe, targeting the shadowy networks that illegally trade in wildlife. Led by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization, and backed by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime, the operation united police, customs officers, border forces, and wildlife authorities from 134 countries in a rare show of global cooperation. Months before a single seizure was made, investigators quietly exchanged intelligence, traced smuggling routes, monitored online marketplaces, and prepared coordinated inspections across continents. Then, between September 15 and October 15, the operation moved into action. The results were unprecedented: 4,640 seizures worldwide and nearly 1,100 suspects identified in connection with the illegal trade in wildlife and forest products. What authorities uncovered was staggering. Tens of thousands of protected plants and animals were confiscated, alongside more than 30 tonnes of endangered species listed under CITES and vast quantities of illegally logged timber. The scale of the seizures revealed a troubling trend—live animal smuggling has reached its highest recorded level, driven largely by the growing demand for exotic pets. Among those rescued were more than 6,000 birds, over 2,000 tortoises and turtles, 1,150 reptiles, 208 primates, and even 10 big cats, including tigers. In one striking case, investigators in Qatar arrested a suspect who had attempted to sell an endangered primate online for $14,000—just one transaction in a global trade that continues to push countless species closer to extinction.

White-cheeked gibbons and lorises rescued.

But the investigation revealed that live animals were only one part of a far broader and more disturbing trade. Far greater in scale was the trafficking of animal parts, meat, and derivatives—destined for luxury goods, niche food markets, and traditional medicine. Among the most shocking discoveries was a single shipment containing more than 1,300 primate body parts, including skulls and bones. Operation Thunder also exposed a sharp rise in the bushmeat trade. In Belgium, officials confiscated primate meat, while in Kenya authorities intercepted over 400 kilograms of giraffe meat. In Tanzania, law enforcement recovered antelope and zebra meat and skins valued at around $10,000. The trade extended beyond land animals to the world’s oceans. More than 245 tonnes of protected marine species were confiscated, including some 4,000 shark fins. And despite decades of international bans, the demand for ivory remains stubbornly strong. In France, authorities seized 107 ivory items from markets, while in Austria additional pieces were recovered from a private home—clear evidence that the illegal trade continues to thrive, often hidden in plain sight.

Tortoises found in luggage.

The operation also highlighted a lesser-known but rapidly growing threat: the trafficking of insects and spiders. Around the world, nearly 10,500 butterflies, insects, and arachnids—many protected under international law—were seized. In the United States alone, customs officers intercepted more than 40 insect shipments and 80 consignments of butterflies at a mail facility, traced back to Germany, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.

Beyond animals, the trade in exotic plants and timber proved equally alarming. Authorities confiscated more than 10 tonnes of live plants and plant derivatives, driven largely by demand from horticultural enthusiasts and private collectors. The scale of illegal logging was stark: some 14,000 pieces of timber, totaling over 32,000 cubic meters, were seized. Investigators estimate that illicit logging may account for as much as 15 to 30 percent of all timber traded globally—underscoring how deeply embedded environmental crime has become in the global marketplace.

Summary of animals confiscated during Operation Thunder this year.

The sheer scale of the seizures made during Operation Thunder has laid bare a sobering reality: the illegal wildlife trade extends far beyond the trafficking of exotic mammals, birds, and reptiles. Insects, spiders, plants, and timber are all being relentlessly exploited to satisfy growing global demand. Among the species at risk is the Malaysian purple-femur tarantula, already threatened by habitat loss and now increasingly targeted for the exotic pet trade. Its decline has prompted the Center for Biological Diversity to urge the U.S government to grant the species protection under the Endangered Species Act—a stark reminder that few forms of life remain untouched by this trade. Operation Thunder has also revealed how profoundly the illegal wildlife market has evolved. No longer the domain of isolated poachers and small-scale black-market traders, it has become a sophisticated, cross-border industry—one that undermines ecosystems, fuels corruption, and poses growing risks to human health. Generating tens of billions of dollars each year, the trade has become deeply attractive to organized crime groups, which rapidly adapt their methods to stay ahead of enforcement.

The message is clear: illegal wildlife trafficking must be treated as a global threat on par with drug trafficking, human trafficking, and terrorism. Intelligence gathered through operations like Thunder is vital to mapping international criminal networks, anticipating future crimes, and dismantling supply chains before they inflict further damage. And just as crucially, those orchestrating this trade must face the strongest possible penalties—reflecting the scale of harm their actions inflict on both the natural world and human society.