. Now, a plea in the city's high court seeks to send him back home.
The petition - filed by 16-year-old Nikita Dhawan, founder of the non-profit Youth For Animals - alleges that Shankar has been living in isolation for years. It demands that he be removed from the zoo and rehabilitated in a wildlife sanctuary that houses other African elephants.
It also accuses zoo authorities of mistreating the animal - the BBC contacted officials but they declined to comment.