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org/what_we_do/wildlife/elephant/

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The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is the largest of all

mammals in Nepal. Its shoulder height varies from 250 to 300cm,
and a male elephant can weigh up to 5,000 kg. Elephants have
an excellent memory and a long lifespan - similar to that of
humans. Elephants are very sociable. They live in groups of
related animals, led by a mature female. Members of the same
group communicate with each other using sound, scent and
touch.

Elephants are capable of producing infrasonic sounds (low-

pitched sounds that fall below the hearing range of humans) that
are especially useful for communicating over long distances,
since the lower-pitched the sound is, the further the sound waves
can travel. The trunk, which is an elongated nose with nostrils
situated at the very end, is a delicate tool. It can be used for a
wide array of tasks, from moving heavy tree trunks to picking up
objects as small as a peanut. The Asian elephant has a single
"finger" on the upper lip of the trunk.

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In Nepal

Elephants are an integral part of Nepalese culture and Nepal has

a long history of domestication of wild elephants for various
purposes. Hindu religious books are replete with stories about
elephants.

The use of domesticated Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) in

Nepal can be traced from as far back as the times of King Man
Dev of Lichhavi Dynasty. According to historian Baburam Acharya
the kings o f Makwanpur captured wild elephants from the Bhabar
forests and sold them to the Mughal rulers of India . Jung
Bahadur Rana, the first Rana Prime Minister, is said to have
captured three wild elephants in 1851 AD using the daunting
technique of kheda . During the Rana regime, domesticated
elephants were considered indispensable beasts of burden and
the Rana rulers commissioned Hattisars (Camp for domesticated
elephants and elephant handlers) for big game hunting. There
were 32 permanent as well as temporary Hattisars during that
time in Nepal.

Elephants are described as all terrain and all weather vehicles.

They are also the symbol of strength and status. In the earlier
days trained elephants were kept as a means of transport or for
big game hunting. Rulers of Asian countries capitalized on the
versatility of trained elephants and used them in war, timber trade,
transportation of goods, and for religious ceremonies.

In constant conflict with humans

Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) or negative interaction between

people and wildlife has recently become one of the fundamental
aspects of wildlife management. Of all the wild animals, the
destruction brought about by elephants is one of the most
devastating.

The Asian elephant is endangered, mainly because of habitat

loss: most suitable habitats have been turned into fields and
human settlements. There are approximately 30,000 Asian
elephants in the wild - less than one tenth the number of African
elephants.

In addition, there are about 16,000 captive elephants throughout

southern Asia which are mostly used as working animals. In the
protected areas of Terai, tame elephants also play a key role in
work to patrol the landscape in search of poachers.

WWF has directed efforts to help solve conflicts between local

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communities and wild elephants.

Status and Distribution of Asian Elephants

The National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 has

accorded Asian elephant a protected status. It has been
categorized as an endangered species by IUCN. CITES has also
listed the Asian elephant in Appendix I and AREAS of WWF
International aims to conserve elephants in biological hotspots
and reduce man-elephant conflict.

Asian Elephants occurs in the Indian sub continent ( India , Nepal

, Bhutan and Bangladesh ), continental southeast Asia ( China ,
Burma , Thailand , Kampuchea , Laos , Vietnam and Malaysia )
and Island Asia [ Andaman Island ( India ), Sri Lanka , Sumatra (
Indonesia ) and Borneo (Sukumar 1989)]. Besides, the tiger and
the rhinoceros it is one of the flagship species of Terai Arc
Landscape Nepal.

Asian Elephants in Nepal occur mainly in four main populations in

the Terai belt. The eastern population (10-15) that migrate from
West Bengal, India to the eastern districts during July to October;
central population (25) mostly confined to PWR; western
population, (45-50) residing in RBNP and far western population
(2-18) in the Churia foothills. The far-western population moves
occasionally to India via the Mahakali River and sometimes uses
RSWR as a dispersal area.

Hattisars in Nepal

Traditionally, domesticated elephants were not raised for breeding

in Nepal because elephant with a calf needs to be laid off from
work for at least three to four years. It is not only a daunting task
to train the calves but also fairly expensive. The availability of
young elephants from the wild for recruiting until a few decades
ago did not require breeding elephants in captivity. The
establishment of elephant-breeding center provides an
opportunity to retain traditional wisdom of training elephants and
their handlers. With this objective in mind Government of Nepal
established an Elephant Breeding Center at Khorsor near
Chitwan National Park in 1986.

There are six major government-owned Hattisars in the country

spread across the protected areas of lowland Terai. All hattisars
were established recently except for the Chitwan Hattisar , which
was shifted from nearby Sonbarsa in 1966. Upkeep of elephants

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is by no means an easy task. Proper care involves providing

nutritious food and hygienic conditions, both of which incur
sizable expenses. The domesticated elephants of the government
Hattisars are used for anti-poaching surveillance, captive-
breeding program, wildlife monitoring, capturing problem animals,
and evacuating trapped animals. They are also used for
ecotourism, wildlife research, conservation education and special
ceremonies.

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