African tusker in ‘musth’, Delhi zoo seeks help to sedate it

The lone African elephant at the Delhi Zoo has come into ‘musth’ — a state of aggression where increased reproductive hormones are released by the animal — prompting the zoo administration to reach out to the forest and wildlife department of the Delhi government, seeking assistance to tranquilize it. The zoo administration said that it was also strengthening the boundary walls of the animal enclosure as last September, the elephant, Shankar, broke a part of the boundary wall of its enclosure in a state of musth, injuring itself as well as a zookeeper, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.

The animal has also been kept chained for large periods since the incident took place in September last year, not allowing it to roam freely. The chains were “biting into” the animal’s legs, only adding to the animal’s aggression, said a zoo official on condition of anonymity.

In a letter sent to the Delhi forest department, dated July 6, the zoo has sought assistance from the forest department to bring the animal under control.

“The National Zoological Park (NZP) has an African elephant about 29 years old and it is in ‘musth’. For better upkeep of the elephant, it needs to be tranquilized,” said the letter, sent by the Delhi zoo director Sanjeet Kumar, a copy of which HT has seen. The zoo further called for the assistance of Dr Sumit Nagar, a veterinarian under the forest department, along with anesthetics such as xylazine hydrochloride (100 mg/ml) along with ketamine (100 mg/ml).

The director, when contacted, said that the zoo was looking to take all precautionary measures to protect its staff, the animal and visitors. “Shankar is currently in musth. Whenever it has come into musth, we had to chain it to prevent the animal from getting injured, or hurting others. We are looking to treat the animal and experts have been called. We are also strengthening the boundary walls,” Kumar told HT.

Shankar arrived at the Delhi Zoo in 1998. It was presented as a diplomatic gift by Zimbabwe to Delhi and was named after the ninth President of India Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma. Shankar came with a companion Bombai, who died in 2005. The animal has been a lone species at the zoo since then. Besides Shankar, the zoo also has two Indian elephants.

In 2022, a teenager approached the Delhi high court and filed a petition, seeking the animal to be released and rehabilitated elsewhere, citing poor living conditions at the Delhi zoo.

The elephant’s living conditions under scanner

Chaining Shankar for long periods and its condition came under the scanner of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) — a global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums worldwide. In a letter sent to the Delhi Zoo, dated June 20, WAZA has sought details of how long the animal is kept chained in a 24-hour period and whether it has been kept chained since September 2023. Other questions include the protocol being followed and whether other solutions were first looked at, before taking this step.

“Can you please provide medical records evaluating if the chains have impacted Shankar’s foot health or other health parameters and any efforts made to address concerns if they were detected? Do you also conduct routine welfare assessments on Shankar? Were any differences noted between September 2023 and March 2024?,” read another question, sent as part of the letter, addressed to both the Delhi zoo and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

HT has seen a copy of WAZA’s letter. Kumar did not comment on the letter and whether the Delhi Zoo responded to WAZA.

A second zoo official, on condition of anonymity, said that the animal was seldom released into its enclosure and was largely kept chained. “The animal is developing a wound in one of its legs due to the chains. The fact that it is kept tied up, is also increasing its aggression,” the official added.

Kumar, however, denied these allegations. “The animal is released into its enclosure and it is kept chained only for a few days, when the animal becomes aggressive,” he said.