Forest department officials early on Saturday prevented a group of over 50 tribals from hunting animals at Chandil forests in Seraikela-Kharsawan, some 35km from the steel city.

The tribal groups, which included women in trousers, were trying to hunt animals at Jhabri forest in Chandil to mark an early start to the traditional Bishu Shikar or Sendra festival, which falls officially on May 4 this year, and is scheduled to be held in Dalma.

Foresters regularly appeal to tribals to celebrate the annual Sendra symbolically and not hunt down animals.

Chandil forest ranger Ashok Kumar said those who had entered the forest in Jhabri had traditional weapons, including bows and arrows, and had come from adjoining villages.

Jhabri forests have barking deer, wild boars, rabbits and peacocks in good numbers that the tribal groups want to hunt.

Even before daybreak on Saturday, people had assembled near the Jhabri village at around 4am and subsequently started coming into the jungles in hunting mode, Chandil forest ranger Kumar told The Telegraph.

But as soon as members of the joint forest management committee (JFMC) spotted the armed groups entering the forest, they alerted the range office, leading officials to rush to the jungle immediately.

“As hunters had already scattered in clusters in the jungle by the time the forest department officials arrived, the officials and their team had to use loudspeakers to warn them against hunting and reminded them that it was prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act,” the forester added.

“Forest officials asked the hunters to go back immediately if they did not want to get implicated in any case, but prepare to get arrested if any got caught in the act of hunting. Only after repeated requests through loudspeakers the hunters finally abandoned the forest after an hour,” the ranger explained.

Man held with peahen

On Saturday afternoon, a man was caught with a peahen near the Chandil railway station, about 5km from Jhabri jungles.

“Fortunately, the peahen was still alive. We took it and subsequently let it go in the same jungle,” Chandil forest ranger Ashok Kumar said.