CHITWAN, Dec 16: Two elephants that Nepal is set to gift to Qatar were bid farewell from Sauraha on Monday. The elephants were transported by truck from Khorsor, Sauraha, in Chitwan as part of the departure ceremony.
According to the Chitwan National Park (CNP), the calves—Khagendraprasad and Rudrakali—were born at the Elephant Breeding Center in Khorsor, Sauraha. They are scheduled to be flown to Qatar via cargo from Bhairahawa Airport in Rupandehi on December 17.
Prior to their departure, a farewell program was organized in Sauraha on Monday. The event was attended by Ratnanagar Municipality Mayor Pralhad Sapkota, Chitwan Chief District Officer (CDO) Ganesh Aryal, and Chief Conservation Officer of CNP Dr. Ganesh Pant, among other officials.
Speaking at the program, Mayor Sapkota said the elephants heading to Qatar would help introduce Nepal to the world. “We are giving what we have. From a tourism perspective, there is no reason to view this negatively,” he said, adding that the elephants would play an important role in strengthening Nepal–Qatar relations.
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CDO Aryal also expressed confidence that the elephants would contribute significantly to promoting Nepal internationally. Along with the elephants, two mahouts and one veterinarian will travel to Qatar.
Chief Conservation Officer Pant said the accompanying team would stay in Qatar for some time to take care of the elephants before returning. Khagendraprasad is a male elephant, while Rudrakali is female. They are aged six and seven years, respectively. After their transfer, the elephants will be kept at the Al Khor Zoo in Qatar, he added.
The decision to gift the elephants was taken during the official visit of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Nepal on April 23–24, 2024. However, the transfer could not proceed at the time as elephants are listed as endangered wildlife, requiring strict compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CNP said all legal and procedural requirements have now been completed.
The government approved the gift during the Amir’s visit at the invitation of President Ramchandra Paudel. Both elephants—Khagendraprasad and Rudrakali—were born and raised in Chitwan.
Khagendraprasad, a male calf, was born in January 2020 at the Khagendramali Post in eastern Chitwan and is currently housed at the CNP Elephant Breeding Center in Sauraha. Rudrakali, a six-year-old female, was born to Pujakali at the same center. After Pujakali died when Rudrakali was just three months old, the calf was raised under the care of mahouts. Both elephants received training at the breeding center.
This marks the first time Nepal has gifted elephants to another country since initiating wildlife conservation efforts, although it has previously gifted other wildlife species. Pant said both elephants are in good health. Before the transfer, an expert team from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation visited Qatar to assess the facilities and environment where the elephants would be kept and found them suitable. A technical team from Qatar also visited Nepal to study the elephants’ health, behavior, and habitat, and recorded their physical measurements.
According to CNP data, four months ago, Khagendraprasad weighed 1,190 kg, while Rudrakali weighed 1,200 kg. Nepal currently has 72 privately owned domestic elephants and 54 elephants under CNP management, while the wild elephant population is estimated at around 65.
So far, Nepal has gifted 47 species of wildlife and hunting trophies to various countries, along with 120 gharial and crocodile eggs. The government has also gifted 26 one-horned rhinoceroses to countries including China, India, the United States, Germany, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia. Nepal first gifted a rhinoceros to a foreign country in 1985.
