The DFO further informed that local villagers actively participated and fully cooperated in the rescue of the wild elephant.“Meanwhile, expert medical help is being provided to the elephant. Help from Vantara will also be taken, if required,” said the DFO.Wildlife experts, however, said that the possibility of an IED explosion could not be ruled out, as the elephant had been hit on its hind limb.“Since the Maoists have also started using capsule IEDs, which have very limited impact, the possibility of the elephant being injured by one of those cannot be ruled out,” said a wildlife expert, requesting anonymity.Notably, Maoists are now allegedly restricted only to the Saranda jungles in Jharkhand, having been eliminated from other pockets of the state. According to estimates, around 85–90 Maoists are believed to be hiding in the Saranda jungles, where they have allegedly planted thousands of IEDs, posing a serious challenge to security forces.The state police launched a joint operation in the Kolhan jungles in November 2022 after receiving a tip-off that some senior Maoist leaders, including Misir Besra and Patiram Majhi alias Anal Da, were hiding in that forest stretch, which is said to be strategically important.Since November 2022, at least six security personnel have lost their lives while 20 others were critically injured, in addition to the deaths of nearly 22 civilians and critical injuries to over a dozen more in IED blasts allegedly triggered by Maoists in the jungles of Chaibasa.
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