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After a week and a half of living in the most densely packed urban environment in the world, Megan and I were in dire need of a pastoral getaway. We packed up our things and took a trip out to the Sunderbans in the southeastern corner of West Bengal.

Megan took this photo

The Sunderbans Wildlife Preserve serves as the Ganges river delta and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The network of waterways and islands provides a home to a diverse array of plant and animal life, including tropical mangrove forests, the white-breasted kingfisher, egrets, crocodiles, wild boar, monkeys, giant lizards, and dolphins. However, the region’s Royal Bengal tiger population garners most of the attention. There aren’t too many left—just 1,800 worldwide, and three hundred of those live in the Sunderbans—so it’s hard to spot one, particularly since they’re solitary animals and wary of strangers.

The Sunderban tigers are notorious for being the only ones of their kind that will regularly hunt and kill human beings. Biologists haven’t reached a consensual explanation for this behavior, but the most convincing argument we heard is that it may have something to do with the tidal patterns of the region. Tigers typically mark their territory through their sense of smell, but since the borders between land and water in the Sunderbans are constantly shifting, smells are an impermanent part of life here. Thus, the tiger feels constantly intruded upon, and whether it makes them feel threatened or just crabby, they do not shy away from attacking people who live in the surrounding villages.

Dinosaur!

Since the animals are proficient swimmers and have ample covering to stalk their prey, it’s a very dangerous environment. Locals have taken to wearing Janus-styled masks, out of the belief that a tiger will never attack its victims from the front. Even so, violent encounters tend to be alarmingly frequent for locals, and seem to have become an accepted part of life. Supposedly, the wives of day-laborers will wear their widow garments with regularity, and access to the forests is restricted, since there’s a good chance you won’t come back if you venture too far within.

Alien!

We didn’t catch a glimpse of any tigers, though our guides supposedly saw one sun-bathing for a brief moment. We did see some of those crazy giant lizards, which can get you with their poisonous tails, along with some awesome monkeys (check out the video below!) and weird sand-creatures. The fresh air and placid surroundings allowed us to refill our tanks, and though we were sad to leave our wildlife companions, it is comforting to be back in the throes of civilization, out of the tiger’s bloodlusting purveyance.

And the video

(Brendan)