Nawalparasi East, Dec. 12 -- Nepal is preparing to send two young elephants from Chitwan National Park to Qatar as a diplomatic gift.

The jumbos-Khagendra Prasad (male elephant aged six) and Rudrakali (female elephant aged seven)-are scheduled to fly on a chartered aircraft from Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa on December 17. They will be transported to Bhairahawa in specially built iron enclosures from Chitwan along the East-West Highway the previous day.

The conservation officials said the elephants will spend one night at Bhairahawa before being flown to the Al Khor Zoo in Qatar, which will be housing elephants for the first time. Nepal decided to gift the animals after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-T...