Honey-hunter146;s risks

The Sundarbans, the world8217;s largest coastal mangrove forest, stretches for almost 6,000 square miles across India and Bangladesh, a natural barrier against tsunamis and frequent cyclones that blow in from the Bay of Bengal. Each spring, like Klondike prospectors looking for the mother lode, the honey hunters fall deeply into debt to rent boats for their journey through a vast warren of muddy saltwater rivers and channels that meander around thousands of islands. They have to stock up on food and supplies for trips that last up to three months. And they have to bribe forest officials.

The honey hunters wager everything, including their lives, against pirates and wild animals, including pythons, king cobras, crocodiles and Bengal tigers. The lure of liquid gold is stronger than their fears. Abdul Ghafoor Ghazi was gathering honey in the forest last year when a tiger pounced on him and clamped its jaws down like a vice, killing him instantly. 8216;8216;I used to object to him going deep inside the forest,8217;8217; said his widow, Jahanara Akhtar Bokul. 8216;8216;It8217;s dangerous work. Our hunger forced him to go.8217;8217;

Sundarbans honey, in a jar, is dark amber, but turns golden in sunlight. It pours like an ice wine, with notes of lavender and oak. Most of it is sold locally, by weight. Mizanur Rehman, a Gabura honey dealer, charges just more than 2 for a kilo of Sundarbans honey. Some of his customers have carried them as far as Saudia Arabia and other Gulf states, he said. Villagers believe a single drop of it on a newborn8217;s tongue will keep the child healthy for years. A few Bangladeshi drug firms use it in medicines, like cough syrup.

At almost an inch long, the bees that produce the honey are Asia8217;s largest. They don8217;t build hives, but make open nests on rocks or trees that can be several yards in length. The bees aggressively defend the honeycomb. Rare is a honey hunter that hasn8217;t met the sharp end of a giant bee. 8216;8216;It8217;s very painful,8217;8217; said Mohammed Abdul Razzaque, 42, who supports a family of 19 by gathering honey. 8216;8216;If the sting is really severe, you get a high fever and vomit. There is some kind of poison in the stingers.8217;8217; It can ruin a honey hunter8217;s day, but not likely to kill him.

Ahmed Ali Tarafdar, 80, is the rare victim of a tiger attack who lived to tell the tale. Before a bad heart forced him to retire, Tarafdar8217;s skill was tracking giant honeybees. Seven years ago, Tarafdar was in a group of five honey hunters collecting firewood to cook dinner when a Bengal tiger sprang at them. 8216;8216;The tiger struck like lightning,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;It had me in its grip for about one or two minutes.8217;8217; The tiger grabbed Tarafdar from behind. Its claws sliced across both sides of his chest, and two canine teeth sank into his right shoulder, front and back. The tiger let go when Tarafdar8217;s son struck it with a machete.

The returns for such high risks are small. Last year, Mali and his team gathered 3,000 pounds of honey, which they sold to a local middleman for around 1,700. After paying bribes for permits and other expenses, the money was split among nine team members. A 10th share went to the middleman, along with more than 750 that he had lent them for the boat and supplies. Mali was left with 90 for a hazardous month in the jungle. The money has to last him until spring. That8217;s less than one quarter of Bangladesh8217;s gross per capita income of 440.

Los Angeles Times