KATHMANDU: Nepal plans to gift two elephants to the Emir of Qatar during the official visit of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamas Al-Thani. The elephants, Rudrakali and Khagendra Prasad are the offspring of a wild elephant named Ronaldo and have been raised and trained at the Elephant Breeding Centre in Sauraha. Due to the death of a male elephant at the breeding center in 2000, they've relied on wild elephants like Ronaldo for breeding purposes. Over the years, many elephants born at the center are descendants of Ronaldo. The breeding center, established 37 years ago, is now preparing to send these elephants to Qatar, marking the first instance of such a gift.

The breeding center, founded with elephants gifted from India, Myanmar, and Thailand, has seen 55 elephants born and trained, although some have passed away. The decision to gift elephants to Qatar is awaiting the finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nepal and Qatar, with delays attributed to administrative issues and permits. Despite regulations on transporting wild animals, there are legal frameworks for gifting them with proper permissions. Both Nepal and Qatar are in the process of addressing technical and administrative matters before finalizing the gift.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Forests and Environment highlighted the necessity of resolving technical and administrative issues before proceeding with the gift. Meanwhile, the elephants designated for gifting have been trained comprehensively, ensuring they possess all the necessary skills. This initiative follows Nepal's past practices of gifting various animals to different countries since 1985, including rhinoceros, crocodiles, wolves, and leopards.