3 min readNew DelhiSep 18, 2025 10:40 AM IST
First published on: Sep 18, 2025 at 04:20 AM IST
After 13 years of being placed in solitary confinement, Shankar–the lone African elephant in Delhi’s National Zoological Park– died on Wednesday night. The bull elephant was around 30 years old.
According to sources, the elephant had shown signs of stress for a long time, especially in the last few days leading up to its death. “It was not having food for two to three days….” a source who works at the zoo pointed out.
The animal had been impacted by long term behavioural stress, the source added. “The solitary confinement had increased the animal’s behavioural stress…,” the source said.
Shankar has been in solitary confinement since 2012, as the elephant was separated from its Asian counterparts. This is in violation of the guidelines issued by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) underlining that zoological parks must not keep elephants single for more than six months and are expected to make arrangements to procure viable partners.
“”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,” the source added.
The Zoo Director Dr Sanjeet Kumar did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment.
Shankar, a diplomatic gift from Zimbabwe in 1996 to then Indian president Shankar Dayal Sharma, arrived in Delhi in 1998 with Vimbai, a female African elephant.
Over the years, Shankar’s prolonged solitary enclosure and alleged mistreatment has been a recurring concern among conservationists and activists. In 2022, a teenager petitioned the Delhi High court seeking its release. The case was transferred to the Supreme Court and the matter is ongoing.
Last year, the Delhi zoo’s World Association of Zoos and Aquarium (WAZA) membership was suspended, allegedly due to mistreatment of the animal in the enclosure.
In 2024, Shankar was experiencing a condition called ‘musth’ when a bull elephant’s testosterone levels increased resulting in aggressive and unpredictable behaviour.
Between July to September 2024, Shankar had been chained resulting in a chain burn injury and prompting authorities to tranquilize the animal.
Following the backlash, the zoo authorities made efforts to find companions for the lone African elephant.
In October last year, the Zimbabwe and Botswana government had approved of sending female companions for Shankar, however no progress was made on this front.
Shankar was said to be showing signs of stress. 
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