Jamshedpur : Tribals celebrated Bishu Shikar festival ( Sendra), a traditional hunting festival with solemnly at Dalma hills.
Though a sizeable number of tribal had climbed the Dalma with their the traditional weapons like bows, arrows, spears and choppers but they hardly could hunt any wild animals thanks to the watchfulness and strict security of the forest department.
�We did not have any report of killing of animals during the hunting festival, said a forest department official. He said the adequate force led by senior officials have been deputed around the Dalma forest, where hundreds of tribals laced with traditional weapons from East Singhbhum district and adjoining Bengal and Odisha have reportedly entered last night to observer the festival today.
But on confirmed reports suggest that there are some group of tribal who have successfully killed a wild pig and some other mammals during the day-long Bishu Shikar festival.
Interestingly, there were some other Bishu Shikar revellers were seen carrying some chicks on their palms as a symbol of hunting festival while returning from Dalma.
The Dolma Buru Sendra Samiti president Rakesh Hembrom, who organise the hunting festival, himself said that no wild animal has been killed by the Bishu Shikar revellers at Dalma hills today.
�” Large numbers of �tribals had climbed the Dalma with their traditional weapons, but none of them has returned with any carcass.�
Tribals have celebrated the Bishu Shikar festival in a symbolic manner only,” said Hembrom.
“This time very few number of tribals turned up for the hunting festival.� It was partly because they are becoming more and more conscious about the wildlife and partly because of the watchfulness of the forest department,” said an official.
The official said that as many as 25 patrolling parties were moving vigilantly in and around the Dalma hills.� He said the patrolling parties were not only moving in vehicles, but were also�walking on the hills side by side the Bishu Shikar revellers.
He added that from Sunday evening the forest department officials along with the handful of NGO personnel and Eco club members camped at all routes linking to Dalma hilltop and persuaded the potential hunters to desist from indulging in any kind of activities that might disturb the ecology of the green surrounding.
�I think it is the result of the co-operation of both the sides. The innocent tribals finally realised what we meant and they refrained from on going on hunting spree,” added an official.
It may be mentioned that the forest department, a two weeks before the festival, had launched an awareness campaign among tribals, following which they had not only assured to protect the animals, but promised to convince others not to kill animals during the annual ritual.