Living with Crocodiles: Suchitra's story from the Sundarbans

In Dhangmari, Bangladesh, the Sundarbans - the world's largest mangrove forest - presses close against the edge of the village. For 60-year-old Suchitra Sardar, its rivers and creeks have provided a livelihood for decades. After her husband and son passed away, she became the only earner in a household of two: herself and her daughter-in-law. Each day she wades into the shallows and creeks near her home to net prawns that she sells at the local bazar.

Everyone in Dhangmari knows the river holds crocodiles, but Suchitra depends on fishing as her only source of income.  

One day, a saltwater crocodile bit down on her leg while she was fishing. She managed to break free and made her way back towards the village, where she was found and taken to hospital. She spent 12 days being treated for the wound – injuries that, a year on, have not fully healed.  

For Suchitra, fishing remains her only available source of income, leaving her with few alternatives despite the risks. So, she returned to the same creeks, carrying both the memory of the attack and the necessity that sends her out each day.

Suchitra's experience reflects the wider relationship between people and wildlife in the Sundarbans. Dhangmari is considered a crocodile-prone area, where communities regularly share waterways with saltwater crocodiles. There is still a gap in the understanding of how saltwater crocodiles move through and use the wider landscape. Attacks occur year-round, but they are more frequent during summer and the monsoon.

In recent years, crocodiles have also been observed in freshwater rivers beyond the immediate Sundarbans landscape, including areas where rivers have tidal influence in Bagerhat and the Madhumati, and even the Padma. Saltwater Crocodiles live primarily in saline and estuarine environments, but they also drink freshwater. It's not yet fully understood why they are increasingly being observed in these freshwater systems.  

For communities living alongside these waterways, understanding these patterns matters.

Through the Conservation and Restoration Initiatives in the Sundarbans Region (CRIS) project, IUCN Bangladesh is conducting a comprehensive faunal survey and ecological monitoring to strengthen knowledge of species distribution, abundance and habitat use across the Sundarbans. This work is expected to contribute to a better understanding of population size, breeding patterns, habitat use, and the ecological capacity of the saltwater crocodiles. 

This information can help build a clearer picture of where crocodiles occur most frequently, including the canals, creeks, and other waterways that may serve as hotspots, and how they use the waterways shared with forest-dependent communities. Over time, stronger evidence can help inform conservation and management decisions, while creating a basis for community awareness and identifying appropriate ways to mitigate risks.

Suchitra's story makes the case that crocodile conservation, human safety and livelihoods cannot be separated. IUCN envisions that having a clearer understanding of these waters and its wildlife can help locals live and pursue their livelihoods safely.  

For the communities living alongside the Sundarbans, safer coexistence begins with understanding the wildlife they share the landscape with. In the context of conservation, that understanding begins with both scientific evidence and the knowledge of the people who know these waters best.