BeeBite: Honey collecting in the Sundarbans is a risky business
For generations poor fishermen and villagers around Bangladesh's Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forests in the world, have been collecting wild honey from April to June every year. The annual honey gathering season brings lots of expectations in the south-west of the country, as it provides people with much needed extra income. On average, the fishermen earn around $70 to $80 (£42 to £49) each during the season. They use the extra money to repay their debts or to repair their boats Honey gathering may sound like a normal rural occupation but here it is perhaps the most dangerous job in the world. Lurking dangers As the fishermen move about in search of beehives in the wild, they run the risk of meeting a deadly foe - the Royal Bengal tiger. "During this period the biggest danger comes from the tigers. They are always on the prowl and they can kill us instantly," says Abdus Salam, an experienced honey gatherer from Burigoalini village, in the ...
