How Shankar, the lonely African elephant in Delhi zoo, met a tragic end

After spending more than a decade in isolation, Shankar, Delhi Zoo’s only African elephant, passed away on Wednesday night.

While the actual cause of his death is still under investigation, the 30-year-old tusker had shown signs of stress for long, a source told The Indian Express. Restless and often in distress, Shankar had carried the weight of loneliness for years. Appeals for his release had even reached the Supreme Court. Yet, nothing ever changed.

Now, with his death, Shankar’s story has stirred a wave of sorrow and questions. Why was Delhi’s only African elephant condemned to such a lonely existence? Could his life, and his end, have been different?

Here’s a look back at the giant’s journey.

From Africa to New Delhi

Shankar’s story began in the vast savanna grasslands of Africa.

Little is known about his life in the wild, but records show that when he was just 26 months old, he was flown in from Zimbabwe and presented to then President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma as a diplomatic gift in 1998. He was named after the President.

When Shankar first arrived at Delhi Zoo, he wasn’t alone. He came with a companion, Bombai, named after the wife of Zimbabwe’s ambassador. For years, the two appeared close, often seen touching, nuzzling, and smelling each other.

That changed in 2005, when Bombai died suddenly. Since then, Shankar has lived in solitary confinement behind what the BBC described as a “bleak enclosure of steel posts and metal fences.”

The zoo does house two other elephants, Laxmi and Hira, but they were Asian elephants, and Shankar was always kept apart from them. He couldn’t see or even smell them.

According to reports, the zoo did try to bring the three elephants together, but the attempt failed. Shankar, the zoo’s former director, Ramesh Pandey, had said, was “untrained and obstinate.”

However, activists had then argued that Shankar’s isolation in inadequate surroundings prevented him from forming the social connections that African elephants are generally capable of.

Life in confinement

Elephants in the wild live in tight-knit herds, forming lifelong bonds with one another. Replicating this natural social structure in captivity is nearly impossible, and Shankar’s story is a stark example.

In 2024, Shankar entered a phase known as ‘musth,’ a condition in male elephants where testosterone levels surge, leading to aggressive and unpredictable behaviour. Isolated and confined, he had no way to navigate or manage this natural cycle as he would in the wild.

A report by The Print, citing a petition filed by a teenager in 2022 through her lawyer Dhananjay Grover, noted that Shankar, distinguished by his large ears, “was often beaten, chained for 17 hours a day, and did not have adequate space to move around.”

African elephants in the wild typically roam 20 to 50 kilometres a day, yet Shankar’s enclosure offered just 4,930 square metres, a fraction of what he needed to move freely, it said.

:#FreeShankarDelhiZoo ⛓🐘⛓
Shankar, the lone African elephant in the Delhi Zoo needs to be rescued and rehabilitated in a sanctuary.

PLS PLS SIGN & SHARE the petition to raise awareness of his plight. The petition link is on our campaign page https://t.co/8GnMcW9ynt pic.twitter.com/TKlM0tfVBl

— 𝐘𝗼𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝗼𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝗺𝐚𝐥𝐬 (𝐘𝐅𝐀)🐘🧡 (@youthforanimals) December 19, 2021

Between July and September 2024, he was kept chained, causing a chain burn that forced authorities to tranquillise him.

While Delhi Zoo, run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), had refuted claims of his mistreatment, repeated warnings were issued by the Delhi High Court, Supreme Court, and even the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza), urging the zoo to improve Shankar’s living conditions and provide him with a companion.

According to guidelines from the Central Zoo Authority (Cza), elephants should never be kept alone for more than six months, and zoological parks are expected to arrange suitable partners.

In October 2024, Waza suspended Delhi Zoo’s membership due to Shankar’s mistreatment. Following this, a team of veterinarians from Reliance’s Vantara Zoo visited the park to examine him.

Videos released by the MoEFCC showed Shankar repeatedly bobbing his head from side to side, a common sign of stress among captive animals.

Efforts to free Shankar

Over the years, multiple efforts were made to improve Shankar’s life and provide him with the companionship he desperately needed.

The fight gained momentum in 2021 when Nikita Dhawan, founder of the non-profit Youth For Animals, visited the Delhi Zoo and was deeply affected by Shankar’s condition. “What really struck us was his condition, he looked terribly sad,” she told BBC.

Motivated to act, she started a petition demanding that Shankar be moved to a “wildlife refuge or sanctuary where there are ample African elephants.”

The petition drew overwhelming support, gathering over 1.95 lakh signatures and backing from both national and international animal rights groups. Even Bollywood celebrities like John Abraham and Pooja Bhatt voiced their support for Shankar.

The case reached the Supreme Court, but the matter remained unresolved. In October last year, the governments of Zimbabwe and Botswana had approved sending female companions for Shankar, yet no progress was made on this front, leaving him in continued isolation.

Also read: The sad, lonely existence of African elephant Shankar at Delhi zoo and the fight to release him

Shankar’s final days

Shankar’s last days were marked by visible distress. Sources cited by The Indian Express revealed that he had shown signs of stress for a long time, particularly in the days leading up to his death.

“It was not having food for two to three days…,” said a zoo staff member. They added that years of solitary confinement had taken a significant toll, noting, “The solitary confinement had increased the animal’s behavioural stress…”

However, zoo officials stated that Shankar showed no signs of illness until September 16. The following morning, he ate less leaves and grass than usual, though he consumed fruits and vegetables normally. Veterinary staff treated him and kept him under close observation.

Tragically, at around 7.25 pm on Wednesday, Shankar suddenly collapsed in his shed. Despite emergency efforts, he passed away at 8 pm. According to the source, “It is unheard of for an elephant to die at such a young age…if not for external causes. A typical lifespan of an African elephant is up to 70 years.”

An official inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death. A post-mortem is being conducted by experts from IVRI Bareilly, with representatives from the Union Environment Ministry also participating.

Shankar’s death has reignited debates about the welfare of captive wild animals in India and the urgent need to rethink how solitary animals are cared for in zoos.

With input from agencies

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