Nepal is set to present a pair of elephants to Qatar at the request of the Qatari side.
Badri Raj Dhungana, spokesperson of the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE), confirmed that the gift will be handed over to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during his two-day visit to Nepal.
The Emir will arrive on April 23. He will be flying to Kathmandu from Bangladesh, where he is currently paying a visit.
According to Dhungana, Qatari side had requested a pair of elephants and hawks.
“The ministry has been informed about the Qatari request for a pair of elephants. While works are underway to gift elephants, we have informed them that it is not possible to gift falcons as we do not domesticate them,” said Dhungana.
According to the Kathmandu Post, Qatar has also shown interest in other wildlife, including rhinos and red pandas, although it is unclear whether there will be any decision on those.
The agreement on the gifting of elephants is expected to be signed in the bilateral agreement following high-level meetings.
Qatar is an important friend for Nepal, with an estimated 400,000 Nepalis working as laborers there, according to the Department of Foreign Employment. Nepal is also pinning hopes on investment from the oil-rich state, especially in the energy sector.
Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nepal is eager to give the requested animals to the Qatari side. “Gifting wildlife is controversial and comes under scrutiny, but I think there are reasons why we are not in a position to say no, especially when we have an abundance of elephants,” said the official who did not want to be named.
Nepal even announced a public holiday on April 23 in honor of the Emir visiting the country.
The preparation to gift elephants comes just months after Nepal agreed to gift a pair of rhinoceroses to China during the recent visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to Beijing, marking the second such exchange since 2017.
The history of Nepal giving away its rich wildlife to appease powerful countries is as old as the history of modern Nepal. The notorious practice began with Rana monarchs taking British residents hunting as a form of appeasement. Rich in diversity and big game, the country later became a coveted hunting destination for generations of British monarchs, starting from Edward VII to Queen Elizabeth.
While little is known about smaller hunting expeditions, the hunting expeditions of monarchs have been well-documented with photos of carnage still available through a simple Google search. The practice of British monarchs visiting Nepal for hunting began with Edward VII, who hunted tigers in Suklaphanta with Jung Bahadur Rana in 1876. In December 1911, George V, ventured into Chitwan for hunting, killing hundreds of wildlife, mainly tigers and rhinos, which were transported to Britian. In 1921, Edward, the Prince of Wales, hunted for a week in the Tarai jungle with Rana Prime Minister, Chandra Shamsher Rana.
In 1961, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, hunted within the forest of Chitwan, killing tigers and rhinos. An army of 327 elephants had been deployed for the purpose, according to a documentary by British Pathe that covered the visit.
These hunting expeditions, along with hunting by Nepali rulers and poaching by poachers, were devastating for Nepali wildlife, so much so that the country, once home to thousands of tigers and rhinos, had both animals numbering below three digits.
While the years after the restoration of democracy in 1990 proved to be a boon for successful conservation, the practice of gifting animals continues despite opposition from wildlife advocacy groups and activists.
Since the restoration of democracy, Nepal has gifted various animals to countries like India, Pakistan, Austria, Thailand, Germany, and Britain, totaling at least 26 rhinos, according to the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservations.
