India’s loneliest elephant died of rare virus after decades of isolation in zoo
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Lonely elephant dies of rare illness after spending years in isolation
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- An African elephant named Shankar, who lived in isolation for over two decades at a Delhi zoo, died from a rare rodent-borne encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV).
- The 29-year-old elephant's autopsy report confirmed EMCV as the cause of death, a virus known to cause sudden death due to heart and brain inflammation in various animals.
- Shankar was brought to India from Zimbabwe in 1998 as a diplomatic gift and had been living alone since his companion died in 2001.
- Zoo officials stated that EMCV is transmitted through rodents, which are difficult to control in open enclosures, despite efforts to manage food sources.
- This marks the first recorded death of an elephant in India caused by EMCV, though the virus has been isolated in the country since the late 1960s.