How A Teen Girl Is Leading The Fight To Free Shankar, The Lonely Zoo Elephant

Nikita Dhawan, a 16-year-old youth activist, has become the voice for an elephant living alone in the Delhi zoo. Shankar, as the beast is named, was brought to India over two decades ago from Africa as a diplomatic 'gift.' Shankar had a female companion, Bombai, when he switched homes but she reportedly died in 2005.

The surviving animal has since lived a lonely life, as per Dhawan, and deserves justice. The founder of nonprofit Youth For Animals (YFA), Dhawan has filed a public interest litigation for Shankar's cause in the Delhi High Court that was heard earlier this month. The next hearing is on March 9.

The teen activist wants the tusker to be released from captivity at the National Zoological Park into a wildlife sanctuary that shelters other African elephants of its kind.

"If Shankar’s solitary captivity does not end immediately, he will meet the same fate as Bombai who died in the zoo," a petition by the youth group, demanding the timely transfer of Shankar to sanctuary, reads.

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According to Dhawan, Shankar is chained for 17 hours each day. Aside from allegedly not being given enough space to move around within the zoo property, the pachyderm also exhibits signs of being under duress.

"Shankar constantly demonstrates stereotypical behaviour like swaying and head-bobbing, a key sign of distress... In fact, Shankar's aggressive behaviour has necessitated the zoo authorities to permanently close the viewing pathway since he could be a danger to visitors," Dhawan's petition claims.

The plea to release Shankar is addressed to Dr Sonali Ghosh, the director of the Delhi zoo, who Dhawan says can set an example for the better future of all elephants in captivity in India.

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Shankar is reportedly only one of two African elephants held in India's zoos, the other being a beast in Mysore. Presented in 1998 to then-President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma by the Zimbabwe government, Shankar is now almost as old in years as he was in months when he relocated: 26.

"Indian culture gives elephants an elevated status... Yet, we don't take care of them," Dhawan recently told the BBC. The teen took on Shankar's cause after she visited the zoo last September when he was kept in a "bleak enclosure" and looked "terribly sad."

According to an RTI (right to information) petition YFA filed last year, the Delhi zoo allegedly confirmed it had made no past effort nor was keen on future plans to release the elephant from captivity. The petition, which pushes for Shankar to be free and "have a chance to live a normal elephant life with his own kind," is 20,000 signatures short of its 1,50,000 target.

Images: Youth for Animals