RANCHI: The elephant, which got injured in an IED blast in the Saranda jungles of Chaibasa on October 6, finally succumbed to its injuries early in the morning on Sunday.
This is the fourth elephant that died in an IED blast in Saranda within the last three months; three of them died during treatment, while another one was found dead in the jungles.
Notably, Maoists are now restricted only to the Saranda jungles in Jharkhand as they have been whipped out from other pockets of the state.
According to an estimate, around 60-65 Maoists are supposed to be hiding in the Saranda jungles, where they have planted thousands of IEDs, which has become a challenge for the security forces.
The IEDs planted by Maoists in the Saranda jungles are not a challenge only for the security forces, but it has also become a potential threat to the wild animals.
According to Saranda Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Aviroop Sinha, despite the best medical treatment being provided by the experts from Vantara in Gujarat, they could not save the life of the female elephant.
“The elephant succumbed to its injuries early in the morning on Friday, at around 1:30 am to 2:00 am, despite the fact that it was being provided best medical facilities. It had severe wounds on its front right limb,” said the DFO.
It is yet to be confirmed whether the elephant got injured by an IED blast or not, but prima facie, looking at the pattern of the wounds, it appears that the injury was caused by an IED blast, he added.
The DFO further added that, the elephant was first spotted in the Ankua of Saranda Jungles, following which it was rescued and taken to a safer place for treatment.
The injured elephant was a female approximately 10 to 12 years old, and was unable to walk due to the severe injury on its front limb, he said.
The DFO informed that, the elephant, which allegedly stepped on an IED in the Saranda Forests, had suffered heavy blood loss from the wound on the right forelimb.
“Four teams of veterinary doctors from Jharkhand and Odisha were attending to the wounded elephant. A team of veterinary surgeons from Vantara in Gujarat, which also reached here on Tuesday night, was keeping a close eye on it,” said the DFO.
When the monitoring teams reached the spot in the morning, the elephant was found dead, he added.
Since November 2022, after the state police launched a joint operation in Kolhan jungles, as many as six security personnel have lost their lives, while 20 others were critically injured, besides claiming the lives of nearly 22 civilians, leaving a dozen others critically injured, in IED blasts triggered by Maoists in the jungles of Chaibasa.
Some of the senior Maoist leaders, including Misir Besra and Patiram Majhi alias Anal Da, are said to be hiding in that forest stretch, which is said to be strategically important.
