Two Asian elephants born and raised in Chitwan were flown to Qatar on Wednesday evening.

The jumbos—Khagendra Prasad (male elephant aged six) and Rudrakali (female elephant aged seven)—transported overland from Chitwan to Bhairahawa, departed aboard a Qatar Airways cargo aircraft at around 5:30 pm. The pair will be housed in an air-conditioned enclosure inside Al Khor Zoo, on the outskirts of Doha, where Qatari authorities say they will be raised in a carefully controlled environment designed to minimise heat stress.

Both elephants were born at the elephant breeding centre in Khorsor, Chitwan. As they were bid farewell at the airport, officials and conservationists garlanded them with marigolds and applied vermilion powder, a customary gesture reserved for auspicious departures.

“Handing over animals we have raised ourselves feels like our hearts are being torn apart,” said Rajendra Prasad Mishra, secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment. “It feels like giving away a daughter in marriage. We sincerely wish them a peaceful life, good health and the growth of their lineage in their new home.”

Officials said the elephants’ transfer was not merely symbolic but also diplomatic. “This gift is tangible proof of the strong relationship between Nepal and Qatar,” said Mishra. “This is the first time Nepal has gifted elephants to another country. I would like to thank the mahouts, staff and local communities in Chitwan who contributed to raising them.”

Conservationists accompanying the transfer said the elephants are unlikely to experience stress because of the climate-controlled facilities awaiting them. Two Nepali mahouts and a veterinary technician will remain in Qatar for a month to assist with acclimatisation and to train local handlers in elephant care, feeding and behavioural monitoring.

Ramkaji Khadka, joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the decision to gift the elephants was taken during the state visit of the Amir of Qatar in April 2024. “President Ram Chandra Paudel announced the gift during that visit, and today we are implementing that commitment,” Khadka said. “We are bidding them farewell today, and they will touch Qatari soil on Thursday, which coincides with Qatar’s National Day.”

Nepal and Qatar established diplomatic ties on January 21, 1977. The two countries are approaching the 50th anniversary of those ties next year. “As we near five decades of diplomatic relations, this gift symbolises friendship and goodwill,” Khadka said. “It will further strengthen bilateral relations.”

Buddhi Sagar Paudel, director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, said a Nepali technical team had earlier visited the Qatari zoo to assess whether it met international standards for elephant welfare. “Only after the team submitted a positive report confirming that elephants could be kept safely did we proceed,” he said. “The entire process was completed within the framework of national laws and international conventions.”

The department said all legal procedures were completed before the elephants were flown to Doha, including the issuance of CITES permits and veterinary health certificates. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora strictly regulates the cross-border movement of endangered species such as Asian elephants.

The handover ceremony was organised in Bhairahawa which was attended by Chiranjibi Pokhrel, director at the National Trust for Nature Conservation, senior officials from the President Chure Conservation Programme, the chief district officer, heads of forest offices, security officials and representatives from the Qatari embassy.