Animal welfare activists in India are mourning the death of a much-loved elephant they long sought to rehabilitate.
Shankar, the lone African elephant at Delhi's zoo, refused food on Wednesday and collapsed by evening. Despite veterinary efforts, the 29-year-old male died within 40 minutes, officials said.
For 24 years, Shankar endured a lonely existence - including at least 13 spent in solitary confinement.
The cause of his death is not known yet. Investigation regarding the cause of death has been ordered, zoo director Sanjeet Kumar told BBC.
Shankar was among two African elephants that arrived in India in 1998 as a diplomatic gift from Zimbabwe to former India President Shankar Dayal Sharma. But Shankar's companion died in 2001, leaving him as the only African elephant in the Delhi zoo.
A former zoo official stated that after the death of his companion, attempts to lodge Shankar with Asian elephants were unsuccessful due to aggression between them, leading to his isolation.
In 2012, Shankar was moved to a new enclosure that essentially rendered him solitary, contravening a 2009 federal ban on solitary confinement for elephants exceeding six months.
Activists had long urged for Shankar's relocation to a sanctuary where he could reside with other African elephants. A Delhi high court petition in 2021 sought his transfer, but it was dismissed two years later.
Shankar remained among the only two African elephants in Indian zoos, with the other male residing in Mysore Zoo. Efforts to find mates for them have faced numerous hurdles including regulatory challenges and welfare concerns.
Nikita Dhawan, founder of the non-profit Youth For Animals, lamented Shankar's preventable death, asserting that he did not have serious health issues and should not have died at such a young age. The average life expectancy of African elephants is 70 years.
Delhi zoo's director claimed that there had been no reports of sickness or abnormal behaviour in Shankar prior to his death.
Gauri Maulekhi, an animal welfare activist, described Shankar's death as a reflection of years of neglect, calling for accountability and a movement to end the isolation of social animals in zoos.
In October 2024, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums suspended the Delhi zoo's membership due to concerns regarding Shankar's living conditions, giving the zoo until April 2025 to either improve care or relocate him.
Despite government interest in bringing Shankar a companion, his death occurred before arrangements could be finalized for a female elephant. This tragic end serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges facing zoo animals and a call to action for improved animal welfare practices.
