Dec 15, Kathmandu - The Government of Nepal has bid farewell to two elephants destined as a gift to the Government of Qatar. The elephants, raised at Chitwan National Park, were sent off during a program held at the park.

The elephants will be transported from Chitwan to Bhairahawa International Airport, where they will be flown directly to Qatar via a chartered Qatar Airways flight scheduled for Paush 2nd. The transfer process is being managed considering the animals' health, climate, and transportation requirements, according to Dr. Ganesh Panta, Chief Conservation Officer at Chitwan National Park.

From Bhairahawa, the elephants will be handed over to Qatar. The Nepalese government plans to formally transfer the elephants at Bhairahawa on the morning of Paush 2nd.

Senior Ecologist Hari Bahadur Acharya, the department’s information officer, stated that the process of sending the elephants to Qatar is nearly complete. The male elephant, Khandendra Prasad, is six years old, while the female, Rudrakali, is seven. Both elephants were born and raised at the Elephant Breeding and Training Center in Kasara within Chitwan National Park.

The decision to gift the elephants was initiated during the official visit of Qatar’s Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Nepal on Baisakh 11-12, 2081. Nepal had decided to gift a pair of elephants after completing necessary procedures, such as CITES authorization, with the decision made by the Cabinet on Kartik 2, 2081.

To facilitate the transfer, a veterinarian and two mahouts from Nepal will be sent to Qatar for one month to train local personnel on elephant care and handling. A technical team from Nepal has already conducted on-site studies in Qatar to ensure the elephants' well-being, diet, and adaptation to the climate, according to Dr. Panta.