A 16-year-old high school student in India is hoping to send a captive elephant named Shankar back home to Africa.
LONDON -- When Nikita Dhawan first saw Shankar at the zoo in India's capital last August, she said her"heart broke."
Dhawan, who is the co-founder of a youth-run animal welfare advocacy group called Youth for Animals, decided to launch a campaign last October seeking to send Shankar back home to Africa and spread awareness of the plight of captive elephants. Dhawan and her Youth for Animals co-founder, Nandika Karunakaram, started an online petition via Change.org that has since garnered over 130,000 signatures. They also sent letters to the zoo and various Indian officials, pleading for Shankar's release.
Dhawan argues in her petition that Shankar should be transferred to an appropriate wildlife sanctuary in Africa or elsewhere that has more ample populations of African elephants. If that's not possible, she says, Shankar should be moved to an elephant sanctuary in India. In 1930, as many as 10 million wild elephants were estimated to have roamed Africa. Today, that number has dwindled to about 415,000 after decades of
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
24 patients hospitalized after fire at Rhode Island rehab centerAt least two dozen patients at a Rhode Island respiratory rehabilitation center were hospitalized Thursday night after a fire broke out at the facility, reports said.
Read more »
Complete NJSIAA wrestling team tournament previews for all 24 groupsCheck out our favorites, contenders, picks and more.
Read more »
A frenetic 24 hours in Biden landAll presidents are forced to balance competing priorities and demands. But rarely do the days leap between the global, ecumenical and domestic in such a short timespan as they did for Biden on Thursday
Read more »
1 killed in early-morning crash on Route 24 ramp, cops sayA 30-year-old Bloomfield man was pronounced dead at the scene, State Police said.
Read more »
Firefighters Still Battling Bartlett Warehouse Fire Over 24 Hours LaterA fire at a large industrial warehouse in northwest suburban Bartlett is still burning 19 hours later
Read more »