Nepal is preparing to send two young elephants from Chitwan National Park to Qatar as a diplomatic gift.

The jumbos—Khagendra Prasad (male elephant aged six) and Rudrakali (female elephant aged seven)—are scheduled to fly on a chartered aircraft from Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa on December 17. They will be transported to Bhairahawa in specially built iron enclosures from Chitwan along the East-West Highway the previous day.

The conservation officials said the elephants will spend one night at Bhairahawa before being flown to the Al Khor Zoo in Qatar, which will be housing elephants for the first time. Nepal decided to gift the animals after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, expressed appreciation for Nepal’s wildlife conservation efforts during his state visit in April, 2024. Qatar has been seeking new wildlife additions for its expanding zoological facilities, prompting this diplomatic exchange.

According to Haribhadra Acharya, information officer and senior ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the elephants will be accompanied by veterinary technician Dinesh Dhakal and two mahouts. “The elephants are accustomed to their caretakers, so mahouts Buddhi Lal Shrestha and Pachhukhan Tharu will travel with them. They will stay in Qatar for at least a month to train local handlers on the elephants’ behaviour and daily routines,” he said.

Acharya said Qatar has constructed climate-controlled enclosures designed to match the temperature and humidity of Chitwan. According to him, the enclosure size, flooring, and cooling systems have all been built according to the elephants’ needs. The Qatari government is covering all transportation and logistical expenses, he added.

Preparations are underway along the transport route, particularly near Daunne, where a damaged section of road requires technical inspection to ensure safe passage of the elephant carriers. “We will assess the road conditions to ensure the animals can be moved without risk,” said Mani Puran Chaudhary, chief officer at the Elephant Breeding Centre.

A formal handover ceremony will take place at Bhairahawa airport on December 17, where secretaries from the Forest Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present the elephants to representatives of the Qatari Embassy. Officials said the transfer highlights growing diplomatic engagement between the two nations.

Both elephants were born inside Chitwan, the country’s first national park. As per traditional naming customs for captive-bred elephants, females receive names ending in Kali or Mala, while males are given the suffix Prasad or Gaj. Rudrakali is the offspring of Pujakali and Khagendra Prasad is the calf of Koshikali, according to park records.