Two elephants that the Government of Nepal is sending to the Government of Qatar as a gift have arrived in Bhairahawa. Preparations are underway to transport the elephants to Qatar via Gautam Buddha International Airport on Wednesday.
Seven-year-old Rudrakali and six-year-old Khagendra Prasad, both born at the Elephant Breeding and Training Center in Khorsor of Chitwan National Park, reached Bhairahawa at around 4:00 AM on Tuesday (Poush 1). According to the park’s information officer, Avinash Thapamagar, the elephants are currently being kept on vacant land near the airport.
The elephants were sent off from Sauraha on Monday (Mangsir 29) after being placed in special enclosures and transported by truck.
On Wednesday, senior officials from the Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation will formally hand over the elephants to the Qatari Embassy in Bhairahawa. After the handover, the elephants will be flown to Qatar on a cargo aircraft.
Rudrakali is the offspring of Pujakali, while Khagendra Prasad is the calf of Kosikali. According to officials, both elephants were sired by a wild male elephant named Ronaldo.
Female elephants at the Khorsor center are known to become pregnant through interaction with powerful wild male elephants such as Ronaldo, Dhruve, and Govinde. Following the government’s decision to gift the elephants, all required procedures were completed for their transfer.
While Nepal has previously gifted rhinoceroses to various countries, this marks the first time the country has gifted elephants to another nation.
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