State successfully curbs tribal hunting during ‘Shikar Utsav’ at Jamsole

Kolkata: The state Forest department has successfully curbed tribal hunting in the festival popularly known as Shikar Utsav at Jamsole, in West Midnapore.

During the Bengali month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), several tribal groups from Bengal celebrate Shikar Utsav. During this festival, tribal people venture into the forests to hunt wild animals, armed with indigenous weapons such as sticks, bows and arrows and spears. They select one forest at a time and gather before it at a scheduled time. They then enter the depths of the forest in search of animals. Various animals, including wild boars, rabbits, small foxes, fishing cats, mice and birds, become prey to these hunters.

The Forest department had made preparations well in advance. In addition to conducting awareness camps in local schools, they also organised cycle rallies. They implemented vehicle checks at naka checkpoints and even guarded the forests at night to prevent any hunters from entering by any means. Car rental agencies were also instructed not to lease cars to any hunters on that day.

“We have consistently worked to raise awareness about the hunting of wild animals. We have developed various methods to prevent hunting and educate tribal groups on the importance of protecting wildlife rather than hunting for leisure.We organised meetings with the heads of these tribal groups to address this issue. Our efforts have yielded positive results, with tribal people becoming more conscious of the need to safeguard wildlife,” a senior official of the Forest department said.