UPDATE # 36: We had the Delhi High court hearing for #FreeShankarDelhiZoo on July 6, 2022.
The division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said the CZA and AWBI, after joint inspection, shall submit a detailed and exhaustive report with respect to the elephant as well as the area in which he has been kept.“The affidavit will also include whether instructions issued from time to time by Central Zoo Authority in respect of extending the enclosure have been followed by the Delhi Zoo or not,” said the court.
The court also asked the authorities to inform the court whether the elephant can be relocated to some national park or sanctuary inside India. The judges mentioned that they are not in favour of relocating Shankar outside India.
The court also asked the authorities to explore the possibility of importing another African elephant, preferably a female of the same age group.
The court has listed the case for the next hearing on August 31.
We are glad that there is some progress on the case and hope that the Delhi zoo and CZA include independent African elephant experts in their inspection team to opine.
Below are some links to the press coverage on the matter: