Delhi zoo’s lone African elephant dies, probe ordered

Shankar, the only African elephant at the Delhi Zoo, has died and an investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of death, officials said on Thursday.

Shankar, a male elephant, died on Wednesday night, they said.

Shankar was gifted by Zimbabwe to to then-President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1996. The elephant arrived at the Delhi Zoo in 1998.

Shankar was living alone since 2005, following the death of his companion, another African elephant named Bambai.

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Delhi Zoo Director Sanjeet Kumar said that an investigation has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of death.

“A detailed inquiry will be carried out to determine the reason,” he said.

According to zoo sources, Shankar had not been eating properly for the past few days.