Lumbini- The Government of Nepal today sent two elephants as a gift to the Government of Qatar. The elephants, Khagendraprasad and Rudrakali, were loaded onto a truck from Chitwan’s Sauraha and transported to Bhairahawa. From there, they were flown to Qatar via a Qatar Airways cargo charter flight.
The elephants were sent aboard from Boeing 777F freighter cargo aircraft under Qatar Airways flight number QR 8824. The flight departed from Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa at 5 PM today.
This move comes after the decision made during the visit of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, to Nepal in April 2021, where the Government of Nepal decided to gift a pair of elephants to Qatar.
The elephants, Rudrakali and Khagendraprasad, were selected from the Elephant Breeding and Training Center in Sauraha, Chitwan, where they were raised and trained. Rudrakali, a female elephant, is 7 years old, while Khagendraprasad, the male, is 5 years old.
Both elephants were officially handed over to the Qatari authorities at the Bhairahawa airport today. The elephants were garlanded with marigold leis and smeared with colored powder (abir) as part of the farewell ceremony. The cargo aircraft carrying the elephants took off from Bhairahawa at 5 PM.
The required documentation, including CITES certificates and health certificates, in accordance with international wildlife laws and Nepal’s regulations, was completed before the elephants were flown to Qatar’s capital, Doha. This gift is expected to strengthen the bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar, especially as Qatar’s National Day is celebrated this Thursday.
Prior to the flight, officials from the Government of Nepal and the Qatar Embassy in Nepal were present at the airport for the handover ceremony. Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Forests, handed over the elephants to Khalifa Almari, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Qatar Embassy.
On the occasion, Secretary Mishra expressed his confidence that gifting elephants to Qatar would further enhance diplomatic relations between the two countries. Deputy Chief of Mission Almari also expressed his happiness and gratitude, thanking Nepal for the generous gift.
