Two elephants born at the Chitwan National Park’s elephant breeding centre are set to be sent to a zoo in Qatar. Rudrakali, a seven-year-old female, and Khagendra Prasad, a six-year-old male, have been raised and trained at the park’s Khorsor facility and will depart for Qatar in the coming month.

According to Hari Bhadra Acharya, spokesperson for the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Qatar requested the elephants through diplomatic channels two years ago, and the process has now been completed. The elephants will be accompanied by their two mahouts for at least one month to train local caretakers in handling and behaviour.

Special arrangements have been made for the extreme heat in Qatar. Air-conditioned housing is planned to keep the elephants comfortable in temperatures reaching 45–50 degrees Celsius. Their diet, including hay, will initially be flown from India, with provisions for supplies from Nepal later.

The elephants will be transported by truck from Sauraha to Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahwa, and then flown via a chartered plane to Doha, where Qatari officials will oversee their arrival. Construction of an enclosure for transportation has already begun, and the Qatari embassy in Nepal will cover all costs for construction and transport.

The initiative aims to strengthen bilateral relations and showcase Nepal’s biodiversity internationally. The Chitwan breeding centre, established in 1985 with elephants from India, Myanmar, and Thailand, has produced 68 elephants to date. This marks the first time elephants born at the centre are being gifted abroad.