World’s loneliest elephant dies after being forced to spend 13 years in isolation at zoo

He passed away at a zoo in India

Shankar was the only African elephant at a zoo in the Indian capital of New Delhi, which meant that he spent the vast majority of his life in isolation.

Officials in New Delhi are reported to have said that Shankar passed away after refusing to eat any of his food on Wednesday (17 September).

The exact cause of the elephant's death is not currently known and an investigation is currently underway, per the zoo's director.

It is believed that over the course of his life, Shankar spent 13 years in solitary confinement.

He began life at the New Delhi zoo alongside a partner after being brought to India in 1998 as a diplomatic gift from Zimbabwe to ex-Indian President Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Shankar's companion passed away in 2001, leaving the elephant to live out the rest of his days alone.

The BBC spoke with a former official at the zoo who told them that Shankar was initially kept alongside a group of Indian elephants but they said that he had been isolated after the animals grew to become "aggressive towards each other."

The official added that Shankar's behaviour changed after the death of his companion.

Where before he had been playful, after the other elephant passed away Shankar became more reserved.

The official said: "Shankar never accepted any other elephant's company, neither did they accept Shankar's. He was left friendless."

In 2012 the elephant was moved to a new enclosure where he lived on his own until his death on Wednesday.

His isolation meant that Shankar became the subject of petitions from animal rights activists who demanded he be relocated to an animal sanctuary.

These claims would ultimately fall on deaf ears after the petition was dismissed by a New Delhi high court in 2021.

Shankar died aged 29, an age which is far lower than the average life expectancy for his species which is at around 70.