The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has suspended the membership of the Delhi zoo for six months, over concerns about the poor condition in which the lone African elephant at the facility has been housed. The six-month suspension means that the Delhi Zoo will be unable to avail of WAZA’s membership benefits such as participation in its annual conference or access to travel grants.
African elephant Shankar was seen kept in chains in solitary confinement, which raised concerns about its well-being and the WAZA code of ethics which states that animals should be treated with respect and dignity.
The suspension, it warned, could extend indefinitely in case the Delhi zoo fails to comply with WAZA’s orders.
The Delhi zoo has been asked to frame a 6-month action plan till April 7, 2025 to either relocate Shankar, the 29-year-old African tusker, to a new facility or to improve his current living conditions and care. In case Shankar is to be relocated, the WAZA says, the zoo needs to provide exact details about the move, and the steps to be taken to ensure a smooth transition for the elephant.
Shankar was a gift from the Robert Mugabe-led Zimbabwe government in 1998 to former president Shankar Dayal Sharma, its namesake.
Shankar did have two Indian elephants as playmates at the zoo, but in 2014, it was decided in a Central Zoo Authority (CZA) meeting that the elephants needed to be kept separately, and their meetings became infrequent at best.
Then, in 2021, Shankar came into musth and attacked one of his Indian playmates, forcing zoo authorities to separate the elephants even more, practically ceasing all of Shankar’s social interactions.
Delhi Zoo director Sanjeet Kumar said that Shankar is currently not in chains and allowed to roam freely in his enclosure.
Unlike its other counterparts in the country, the Delhi Zoo is managed directly by the central government and is seen as a ‘model zoo of the country’.
Additionally, the WAZA sent a second letter to the CZA on 7 October detailing their non-compliance with its 2023 Animal Welfare Goal (AWG) deadline.
Meeting the extended deadline, 30 November, is a necessary requirement for the CZA to continue keeping its membership at the WAZA, the letter says. Failure to do so will result in the CZA as well as all nine Indian zoos immediately losing their membership, it adds.
Apart from the Delhi zoo, the other Indian members include Bannerghatta Biological Park (Bengaluru), Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park Chhatbir (Patiala), and Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (Visakhapatnam).
“The CZA already has a framework for animal welfare evaluation programmes which is in the process of being aligned with the standards agreed upon by WAZA. The peer review is in progress and the CZA will soon have the WAZA-approved welfare standards,” CZA director Sanjay Shukla said.
Consequences of suspension
The issue with Delhi Zoo was first flagged by the WAZA in May, when it received a complaint reporting an ethics violation in Shankar’s treatment.
The complaint, which was shown as anonymous in WAZA’s letter, described an African elephant seen in chains in the zoo, which was a direct violation of WAZA’s rules, which state that the members should uphold ethical values, engage in ethical decision-making and prioritise animal welfare.
The AWG states that all 21 members of the association need to come up with an animal welfare evaluation process with seven specific elements and get it approved by the WAZA for which the deadline was extended to 30 November.
The second letter also reminded the CZA that they are one of the last two associations yet to submit the evaluation process.
Kumar said that the communication from WAZA was received 7 October.
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