After living in solitary confinement for 13 years, Shashank, the lone African elephant at Delhi’s National Zoological Park, died on Wednesday night. The 30-year-old bull elephant had shown signs of stress for a long time, especially in the last few days leading up to his death, according to sources.

“It was not having food for 2 to 3 days… the solitary confinement had increased the animal’s behavioural stress. 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,” reported national media. The animal had been impacted by long-term behavioural stress.

Shashank was kept in solitary confinement since 2012, after being separated from its Asian counterparts. This is in violation of the guidelines issued by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), which underline that zoological parks must not keep elephants single for more than six months and are expected to make arrangements to procure viable partners.

The Delhi Zoo director, Dr. Sanjeet Kumar, did not respond to the national media.

Shashank came as a diplomatic gift from Zimbabwe in 1996 to then Indian President Shankar Dayal Sharma. He arrived in Delhi in 1998 along with Mumbai, a female African elephant.

But over the years, Shashank’s prolonged solitary enclosure and alleged mistreatment had been a recurring concern among conservationists and activists. In 2022, a teenager petitioned the Delhi High Court for the release of the elephant, and the case was transferred to the Supreme Court, where the matter was still ongoing.

Zoo’s Membership Revoked

Last year, the Delhi Zoo’s membership in the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) was suspended due to mismanagement and poor treatment of animals in its enclosures.

In 2024, Shashank began experiencing a condition called musth, in which a bull elephant’s testosterone levels increase, resulting in aggression and unpredictable behaviour. Between July and September 2024, Shashank had been chained, which caused chain-burn injuries and prompted authorities to tranquilise the animal.

The zoo authorities faced widespread backlash for their treatment of the African elephant. Following the criticism, the zoo made efforts to find companions for the lone African elephant, but had failed.