KATHMANDU: After concluding a lengthy legal process, two elephant calves raised and trained at the Chitwan National Park (CNP) Breeding Centre are flying to Qatar on Wednesday.
Nepal has gifted the two calves–Rudrakali, a seven-year-old female, and Khagendra Prasad, a six-year-old male, to Qatar.
They arrived at Bhairahawa Airport from CNP and are resting for three days. They will be taken to Qatar in a chartered cargo aircraft. They will formally bade farewell at 4 pm in the presence of the Minister for Forest and Environment, departmental officials, and other high-level representatives from both countries at the Bhairahawa Airport. “In Qatar, the two elephants will be kept at Al Khor Park’s zoo in Doha,” said Dr. Ganesh Pant, Chief Conservation Officer at CNP, in a phone conversation.
The farewell programme at the Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairawa will be attended by the Secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Director General at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservations and other high-level officials, said Dr. Pant. They were also bade farewell in Chitwan by organising a function.
Two mahouts are also going to Qatar under the leadership of park veterinarian Dinesh Dhakal, accompanying the calves. They will return home after staying there for at least a month, assessing the situation of the calves. “We have a tentative plan that they will return after a month, but there might be a situation where they need to stay for more days, seeing the conditions of the calves,” Dr. Pant said.
Bijay Das Tharu, the mahout of Rudrakali, said he will not be travelling to Qatar for personal reasons, and that another mahout, Buddhi Lal Shrestha, will accompany Rudrakali instead.
“I have been taking care of the calf since its birth at the breeding centre, and it has become a part of my family. I now feel sad and anxious as Rudrakali is going far from home. I do not know whether it will be able to adjust to the environment in Qatar,” he said.
Tharu said the elephants have been kept inside the cage and are being fed grains and peepal leaves.
According to Dr. Pant, gifting the two calves will help strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries. It will also enhance Nepal’s identity, as visitors to the zoo will recognise the elephants as a gift from Nepal.
When the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, came on his official visit to Nepal on April 23, 2024, the government announced to give these mammals as a gift to the Emir as a token of long-lasting friendship and goodwill between the two countries.
Both the elephants, which are set to be gifted, are the babies of the wild elephant Ronaldo. They are gifted to Qatar under the Conservation Policy, said an official at CNP.
“It took time to process the departure as the mammal is listed under CITES, requiring multiple procedures and approvals both at home and abroad,” Dr Pant said.
He added that Khagendra Prasad is very intelligent and empathetic and is trained well inside the breeding centre.
The Nepal government has already gifted 26 rhinos, 10 gharials, one wolf, and two leopards to various countries. This is the first time elephant calves are being sent to Qatar from Nepal.
