Chaibasa (Jharkhand), July 6 (IANS) A landmine planted by Maoists in the dense Saranda forest of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district has claimed the life of a young male elephant, Forest Department officials said on Sunday.

The six-year-old wild elephant, affectionately called ‘Gadru’ by local villagers, sustained grievous injuries after stepping on an IED in the Digha area of the Saranda forest on June 24.

The powerful blast severely damaged the animal’s hind left leg, which left it immobilised and bleeding. Locals later found the wounded pachyderm collapsed near a stream.

Villagers then alerted the forest officials, who subsequently located the elephant using drone surveillance.

Efforts to rescue Gadru began immediately, with forest personnel closely monitoring the animal’s condition for several days.

Following a request from the Forest Department, a specialised veterinary team from Gujarat-based wildlife rescue organisation Vantara arrived in Saranda on Saturday.

The team tranquillised the elephant and transported it to Jhariakela for treatment late on Saturday evening. Despite round-the-clock medical intervention, Gadru succumbed to its injuries on Sunday, officials said.

According to veterinarians, a widespread infection had made recovery impossible.

The death of Gadru has cast a pall of gloom over the residents of Saranda and adjoining villages, where the young elephant used to roam and had become a familiar figure.

Saranda forest is one of the most severely Maoist-affected regions in Jharkhand. Security agencies have repeatedly warned that Maoist insurgents have placed landmines at every step to target police and paramilitary forces. However, innocent civilians and wildlife often fall victim to them.

In the past two years alone, IED blasts in the region have killed 14 civilians and five members of the security forces. Wildlife casualties, though less reported, are becoming increasingly frequent, raising serious concerns among conservationists.

Wildlife authorities are now planning increased surveillance and coordination in conflict-prone zones to prevent such tragedies in the future.

–IANS

snc/skp/vd