Bhubaneswar, April 13: Authorities of the Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary and tiger reserve in Mayurbhanj district were on high alert today as the state observed Mahabishub Sankranti, which, apart from marking the beginning of Odia New Year, coincides with Akhand Shikar, the annual mass hunting ritual of the local tribal people.

The Santhal and Ho tribals, residing near the sanctuary, consider hunting during this time of the year to be particularly auspicious, but the tradition, which is responsible for large-scale slaughter of wildlife across the 2,500sqkm sanctuary, remains a cause of concern for the government and environmental activists.

Akhand Shikar traditionally begins with tribals offering prayers to their deities on Mahabishub Sankranti before setting out on hunting expeditions in the forests of Similipal. The hunt constitutes open defiance of forest and environment laws protecting wildlife.

Stray hunting of animals in the sanctuary area was reported in February this year when around 35 tribal “shikaris” were arrested from the Similipal Reserve Forest and some weapons and animal meat seized from them. Sources said it was a prelude to Akhand Shikar, which is likely to continue till the end of May.

Divisional forest officer of Baripada Bijay Kumar Panda said “foolproof” measures had been taken this time to keep the tribal hunters at bay. “We have set up 31 anti-poaching camps, each with 10 members led either by a range officer or assistant conservator of forests or a divisional forest officer. Each of these camps, set up at strategic points in the sanctuary, has been provided with a vehicle,” said Panda.

Panda said a three-tier security ring had been thrown around the sanctuary, which also enjoys the distinction of being Odisha’s first tiger reserve. Intensive checking is taking place not only at the entry points, but also within the sanctuary, including its core area. Apart from forest personnel, some ex-servicemen have also been drafted in to strengthen the security cordon in and around Similipal.

“Not a single animal has been killed in the sanctuary during the past three days when the threat perception is very high. The camps will be wound up Sunday onwards, but we are not going to let our guard down,” said Panda. The officer agreed with the common perception that some of the hunters had a pact with poachers, who had been active in the sanctuary area for sometime. “But, their number must be very small, perhaps one per cent of the lot,” said Panda.

Similipal has been in focus for a while because of the high incidence of elephant poaching in the sanctuary. Last year, 10 elephants were killed by the stalkers who used poison in most cases.

Akhand Shikar continues in Similipal despite attempts to wean tribals away from it. Both the government and voluntary bodies have been organising awareness campaigns against it but with little success.

“This time, too, we have held meetings at the tribal villages, trying to convince people to give it up. We have been especially focusing on tribal priests, who take the lead in organising hunting expeditions,” said Deepak Pani, secretary of the Gram Swaraj, a voluntary organisation working among the Similipal tribals.

However, neither he nor anyone else is willing to hazard a guess on when the gory tradition would come to an end.