30-yr-old elephant Shankar died of acute cardiac failure: Zoo officials

Shankar, around 30-year-old African elephant who had lived at the National Zoological Park (Delhi Zoo) for nearly three decades, died suddenly on the night of September 17 due to acute cardiac failure, zoo officials confirmed.

A preliminary post-mortem has indicated that Shankar’s death was due to acute cardiac failure. However, the exact cause of the cardiac failure will be determined once laboratory reports from samples collected during the post-mortem are received from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, an official said.

Moreover, the official added that a high-level investigation by the ministry and the zoo authorities is also underway to examine possible reasons for the elephant’s sudden death.

The zoo authorities reported that Shankar collapsed inside his shed around 7:25 pm on Wednesday. Despite immediate emergency treatment by the veterinary team, the elephant was declared dead at approximately 8 pm.

According to Zoo Director Sanjeet Kumar, Shankar had been showing minor symptoms earlier in the day, including reduced consumption of leaves and grass and slight loose motion, but was otherwise eating concentrates, fruits and vegetables normally. The veterinary team had administered treatment and kept him under observation, but the sudden collapse proved fatal.

The authorities confirmed that surveillance and testing of other animals and birds in the zoo have shown no signs of H5N1 or other influenza-related infections. Random sampling conducted on September 4 in various enclosures, including aviaries, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore and flightless bird areas, as well as environmental samples from ponds, came back negative. Intensive sanitation and biosecurity measures continue to safeguard the health of all animals, birds and staff at the zoo.