No bloodshed in annual hunting festival

Annual hunting festival of the tribals, 'Bishu Sikar Parob', popularly known as Sendra festival, passed off with no loss of blood as no wildlife animals were hunted at Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary today.
Laced with traditional weapons such as bows and arrows, around 200 tribals from across the Kolhan region of Jharkhand as well as bordering districts of West Bengal and Odisha have entered the sanctuary last night to celebrate the festival today, officials said.
"We have recorded 'zero hunting' on Monday even though we have made adequate security arrangement as precautionary measure to prevent bloodshed during the festival, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife), Kamlesh Pandey, said.

The efforts of forest department seemed to have paid the desirable dividend, he said while appreciating the tribals for responding positively to the appeal of the forest department and observing the festival in a symbolic manner.
"We have been carrying out awareness campaign for long and appealed to the tribals to observe the hunting festival in a symbolic manner without harming the wildlife," he said.
Pandey said the forest department's move to organize cultural programme and archery competition during the festival also helped the department extract the desirable response from the community.

The killing of wild animals in the sanctuary recorded downward trend since the department launched awareness campaign in over 85 villages in and around the sanctuary, he claimed.

Due to the downward trend of hunting in the sanctuary, Pandey said the South African forest department had sought details of the awareness campaign last year to replicate it in their country, where such festival is also observed.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das and Governor Dr Syed Ahmed too appealed the tribals to observe the rituals without killing innocent animals as hunting of wildlife is an offence under Wildlife (Preservaton) act, 1972.
The East Singhbhum administration has made elaborate security arrangement and deputed 12 magistrates to maintain law and order during the festival.