An African elephant at a zoo in India has been isolated in a bleak enclosure for 15 years following the death of his only companion.
Now, a petition has been launched to remove the elephant from the zoo and rehabilitate him with other African elephants.
The petition was filed by 16-year-old Nikita Dhawan, who is founder of the non-profit organization Youth For Animals. It says that Shankar is chained for 17 hours a day and does not have adequate space to move around when he is let out.
Shankar has lived at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi for 24 years.
According to the petition, Shankar can be aggressive due to his solitude, meaning that the viewing pathway at the zoo has had to close.
The group then filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Delhi High Court, which was heard on January 3. The case was admitted, with the next hearing scheduled for March 8.
According to Ghosh, Shankar is a solitary animal, and therefore it is not possible to put him with Asian elephants.
Elephants are highly social animals, and can suffer mentally when they are isolated from others.
Male African elephants tend to have a more solitary existence than females, but there is growing evidence that they also live rich social lives.
This has been difficult to research, as males roam large distances and are more difficult to track.