Simlipal on its toes to check tribal hunt ritual

BARIPADA: The Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR), spread over a total area of 2750 square kilometre in north Orissa's Mayurbhanj district has stepped up anti-poaching surveillance to prevent the tribals' mass hunting excursion, better known as "Akhand Shikar".
According to an age-old custom, large groups of tribals armed with bows and arrows, hunting axes, and spears sneak into the animal-rich areas of the reserve through untrodden paths and set out on a hunting spree on the "Chaitra Sankranti" day (April 14).Just prior to setting out for the annual hunt, the "Dehuris" (tribal priests) perform rituals invoking the blessings of "Marang Buru" (the supreme mountain god) for a successful hunting voyage, said Gurva Soren, secretary of SRDTC (Society for Research and Development of Tribal Culture) a Mayurbhanj-based tribal NGO.
Soren sought cooperation from the "Dehuris" to stop this mass hunting excursion.
Geographically, Simlipal is the fourth biggest reserve forest, next only to Nagarjunasagar with an area of 3560 sqkm in Andhra Pradesh, Manas with an area of 2840 sqkm in Assam, and Indravati with an area of 2799 sqkm in Madhya Pradesh.
STR field director H S Upadhaya told TOI that a three-pronged strategy has been chalked out and implemented to prevent "Akhand Shikar". At least 93 strategic camps have been established in all its 226 forest compartments which will be manned by seven range officers, 23 foresters, 58 beat forest guards and 450 casual labourers, Upadhaya added.
"The strength of the camps will be reinforced and reorganised if situation so demands," he further said.
Some of the anti-poaching camps have been set up on tree-tops camouflaged and covered with green foliage, sources said. Further, the campers have been asked to keep round-the-clock vigil to intercept any new person entering the core area of the forest, and detain him for interrogation if necessary.
An intensive awareness campaign has been launched with special emphasis on announcements at the weekly haats, to persuade the fringe area villagers to refrain from participating in the shikar rituals or any type of poaching. Leaflets seeking people's co-operation have also been distributed.
The three-pronged strategy also includes collection of inputs from available sources so that effective steps can be taken through the Range striking force, the field director pointed out. If the preventive and persuasive efforts fail to yield results, we shall have to resort to the combative strategy as the last option to prevent the illegal poaching and killing of the mute animals, sources added.