Nepal, April 21 -- The last few weeks have been tough for Rishi Tiwari. Feeding Ichchhakali and Begumkali, two of his elephants, has become difficult due to the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the contagious coronavirus.

Owners of elephants held captive to entertain tourists have been facing problems feeding them as tourism-their source of income- has dried up for the last several weeks due to the lockdown.

"The situation is more difficult than after the 2015 earthquake. I never faced such trouble feeding my elephants," said Tiwari, who has been raising elephants for the past two decades. "We had never seen lockdown before. I thought this would not last long. Now, I can neither go out myself nor shops are open."

According ...