New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- The National Zoological Park (NZP), New Delhi, has informed about the sudden passing away of the 29-year-old male African elephant, Shankar, on the night of September 17, at 8:00 PM, a statement from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.

To ascertain the cause of death, an inquiry has been ordered. The post-mortem is being conducted by a team of experts from IVRI Bareilly, the health advisory committee and a representative of the Ministry for further investigation. After the post-mortem and taking required samples, the carcass will be disposed of following due procedure.

'Shankar' had been a valued member of the National Zoological Park family for 27 years, having arrived in November 1998 fr...