About 200 tribals armed with traditional weapons had entered the park and set up a camp and even feasted on sambar meat after cooking it there, wildlife sources said on Friday.

When armed police and forest personnel rushed to the spot all except three hunters managed to flee the place. The three were arrested and police seized two kg of sambar meat from them, the sources said.

Another attempt of Akhand Shikar was reported from Bhanjabasa in the core area of Project Tiger zone in Similipal but the intruders were chased away by police and forest personnel, field director of Project Tiger S Srivastav said.

Though the annual Akhand Shikar is being timed now as many as six attempts had been made by tribalsbetween December and March for mass hunting, he said.

But the attempts were foiled by forest personnel, he said adding one platoon of armed police has been deployed in the park to prevent mass hunting.