The only life and the death of the only African elephant in Delhi

Animal care activists in India create the death of a very loved elephant who has long sought to rehabilitate.

Shankar, the only African elephant in the Delhi Zoo, who spent most of his life in isolation, rejected the food on Wednesday and collapsed in the evening. Despite the veterinary efforts, the 29 -year -old died within 40 minutes.

For 24 years, Shankar has a single presence – including at least 13 was spent in solitary confinement.

The cause of his death is not yet known. “An investigation has been requested regarding the death case,” Sanjette Kumar, BBC director, told BBC.

Shankar was among the African elephants who arrived in India in 1998 as a diplomatic gift from Zimbabwe to former India President Shankar Dayal Sharma.

But Rafik Shancar died in 2001, Mr. Kumar said.

A former zoo official, who did not want to get to know him, said that after the death of his companion, Shankar was temporarily presented to the Asian elephants in the zoo, but the plan did not succeed.

“They were very aggressive towards each other,” he said, adding that Shankar was isolated soon.

The former official said: “(Chankar) was fun when his companion was there.

In 2012, Shancar was transferred to a new container that I actually left in solitary confinement – despite the 2009 federal ban on keeping elephants alone for more than six months. He stayed there until his death.

For years, activists have been calling for Shankar from the zoo and rehabilitating them in a wildlife reserve that includes other African elephants.

In 2021, he sought a petition in the Supreme Court in Delhi Shankar transfer To a haven with other African elephants. Two years later, the court rejected the petition, and the petition went to approach the committee that deals with the transportation of wild animals by zoos.

Until Wednesday, Shankar was among the only African elephants in zoos in India. The other – an adult male – lives in the Mysore Zoo in the southern state of Karnataka.

The zoos have long struggled to find their colleagues for the African male elephant I mentioned.

Activists also criticized the circumstances in which Shankar was kept in the Delhi Zoo, describing its volumes as dark and insufficient.

“It is heartbreaking to see it dies like this,” said Nikita Duan, the founder of the non -profit youth of animals, who presented a petition in 2021. “It was easy to prevent. (Shankar) had no serious health problems. He was very small.”

The average life expectancy of African elephants is 70 years old.

Mr. Kumar, director of the Delhi Zoo, said that there was no “report on illness or abnormal behavior” in the Shankar case until Wednesday morning.

Animal Welfare Agent Gary Malikihi said that the death of Shancar reflects “years of indifference and institutional neglect” and called it the systematic failure demanding accountability.

“The internal investigation is not simply sufficient,” BBC told BBC. “This was a systematic failure that requires real accountability and should be a moment of gatherings to end the harsh practice of preserving elephants and other social animals isolated in our private gardens forever.”

In response to a question about the allegations of neglect, Mr. Kumar said, “All care and maintenance have been followed,” but he refused to take specific questions.

In October 2024, the Zoos Association alone arrested the International, which is suspended by the Delhi Zoo’s membership about concerns about the living conditions of Shankar, after reports that it had been linked.

The World Commission gave the Delhi Zoo until April 2025 either to transfer Shankar or improve its care, warning against ending its membership if the deadline is missed.

A day after the comment notice, one of the federal minister lost the Shankar box and said that his health looks better. On October 15, the government announced plans to bring him a companion, saying that Zimbabwe and Botswana showed commercial attention and measures.

The Delhi Zoo officials said they had not received any other notifications from the World Authority. Shankar died before a companion was arranged.

Follow BBC News India Instagramand YouTube, twitter and Facebook.