Elephant locations in Nepal

56 locations has kept elephants in Nepal

There is presently 183 (51,107) living elephants in locations in Nepal in this database

Nepal
Region:	Nepal is in this database included in asia
Wild elephants:	Nepal has about 126 (min. 109, max. 142) wild elephants. Source:Pradhan et al. (2011)
Location holdings:	56 locations has kept 225 elephants in Nepal (Database tables with collection of elephants further down on the page)
Elephants in locations	183 (51,107) living 42 (15,17) dead

1914: A total of 17 captive elephants were released into the wild in 1914

1945-1970: 10 wild elephants were captured for taming during 1954-1970.

1973: capture of wild elephants became strictly prohibited.

Wild elephants

Many wild elephants migrate between India and Nepal, where rapidly rising human populations devastated lowland forest herds. Small herds have stabilised in protected reserves.

1996: population was estimated to 50-60 (Santiapillai, IUCN 1996).

2008: 100-170 (Sukumar 2008)

2011: 128 elephants. (Pradhan et al., 2011)

Captive elephants

Gaja or Prasad denotes a male, and Kali denotes a female elephant.

Phanit denotes an official driver and senior keeper, Pachuwa: assistant, and Mahut, 2nd assistant.

The Rana rulers established Hattisars (elephant stables) as part of their big game hunting exploits. Between 1898 and 1970 there were 31 such hattisars for captive elephants, stretching from Jhapa in east Nepal to Kanchanpur in far west Nepal. The last wild elephant was captured near Parsa in 1969

Government elephant stables are called sarkari hattisar.

2011: 236 registered captive elephants. (Locke, 2011)

2014: Nepal has about 150 captive elephants under both government and private individuals distributed in three locations such us the Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Chitwan National Park, Parsa Wildlife Reserve, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and Bardia National Park.
Surendra Varma, Suparna Ganguly (2011)

Other sources state: There are around 200 captive elephants in Nepal. Around 100 of them are owned by the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation and 100 by private institutions
Jeewan Thapa

Unlike the rhino, numbers of wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) have not rebounded, with approximately the same number of wild individuals (~150) as those held in captivity remaining (GoN, 2015).

Previous studies have indicated that at least 23% of the captive elephants in Sauraha carry tuberculosis, but due to difficulties with owner compliance regarding treatment, unreliable testing methods, and overall concern for the cost of treatment means that elephants remain undiagnosed and contagious (Gairhe, 2012; Mikota et al., 2015; see also Paudel & Sreevatsan, 2020). More than 12 captive elephants have died of tuberculosis since 2002 (Mandal & Khadka, 2013; Thapa, et. al, 2017, Szydlowski, 2021), yet infected individuals remain within shared spaces, increasing the risk of further transmission (Gairhe, 2012).
Michelle Szydlowski, Elephants in Nepal

Bardia

17 elephants have 41 handlers in the Bardia National Park. All the adult female elephants had been bought. Surendra Varma, Suparna Ganguly (2011)

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan, Facts about elephants in Nepal. Elephant Encyclopedia, (2024) available online retrieved 2024-12-03 at https://www.elephant.se/country.php?name=Nepal.
(archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources, among others

Kharel, Fanindra R. The challenge of managing domesticated Asian elephants in Nepal. Available online at http://www.fao.org/3/ad031e/ad031e0e.htm

Locke, Piers (2011). The Ethnography of Captive Elephant Management in Nepal:. Gajah 34 (2011) 32-40 (Journal of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group). Available online at https://www.asesg.org/PDFfiles/Gajah/34-32-Locke.pdf

Current status of elephants in Nepal, by Pradhan et al. (2011), Gajah nr 35, 2012. Available online at http://www.asesg.org/gajah35.htm

Varma, S., and Ganguly.S. (2011). Captive Elephants in Bardia National Park,
Nepal, Investigations into Population, Management, Welfare and a Review of Elephant Training by Working Elephant Programme of Asia (WEPA), and WWF Finland at Bardia Hattisar, Elephants in Captivity: CUPA/ ANCF – Occasional Report. No.18. Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) and Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF), Bangalore, India. Available online athttp://www.asiannature.org/sites/default/files/OR%2018%20Captive%20elephants%20in%20Bardia%20National%20Park%20-Nepal.pdf

25 Years of Achievements on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal, Ministry of Forests and Environment (2018). Available at https://www.cbd.int/api/v2013/documents/BD049A13-5D91-67D5-5B38-90108F6A4D29/attachments/MOFE_IBD_2018_Final%20(1).pdf

Jeewan Thapa, Nepal, http://www.asesg.org/gajah.htm

Vries, de L. (2014) An Elephant is Not a Machine, A Survey into the Welfare of Private Captive Elephants in Sauraha, Chitwan National Park, Animal Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal. Available online at https://animalnepal.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/report-an-elephant-is-not-a-machine.pdf

https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/elephant-mahout-killed-in-tiger-attack-in-chitwan-national-park/

http://news.coinupdate.com/nepal-newly-issued-1000-rupee-banknotes-include-depiction-of-twin-asian-elephants/

http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-12-30/wild-elephants-cause-menace-in-bardiya.html

http://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/chitwan-elephant-festival-held-sauraha-december-26/

http://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/property-worth-rs-1-lakh-destroyed-morang-elephant-attack/

http://www.myrepublica.com/news/11116

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=69146

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=190306

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=46852

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Elephant+attack+claims+one+more+&NewsID=314611

Michelle Szydlowski, Elephants in Nepal: Correlating disease, tourism, and welfare, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888705.2022.2028628?fbclid=IwAR1DFBRqv_pL4x-CjU0jNOr3iHwoaiHCiDMuy72R2eLrX5pCSW-9SWGbzxg

Internal relevant links

The elephant database startpage. Statistics
News about elephants in Nepal (From the sister site Elephant News)

Name	Elephant collection				Place
Amriti hattisar (camp) Kept totally 2 elephants	, 1 present (1,0)	0 births	1 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Baghmara hattisar (Baghmara Wildlife Resort) (camp) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (1,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Bardia hattisar (camp) Kept totally 5 elephants	, 4 present (0,2)	2 births	0 relocated	1 deaths	Bardia (map)
Bardia National Park (BNP) (wild) Kept totally 7 elephants	, 3 present (3,0)	7 births	1 relocated	3 deaths	Bardia (map) Southwest Nepal
Belsar hattisar (camp) Kept totally 2 elephants	, 2 present (1,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Bikash Mishra (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	RatnanagarChitwan District
Biratnagar Hattisar (Sunsari hattisar) (camp) Kept totally 0 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Sunsari (map)Sunsari District Province No. 1 Outer Terai
Chitwan Forest Resort (camp) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Chitwan Island Jungle Resort (private) Kept totally 4 elephants	, 3 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	1 deaths	(map)Chitwan District
Chitwan Jungle Villa Resort (private) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	(map)Chitwan District
Chitwan National Park (CNP) (wild) Kept totally 5 elephants	, 4 present (3,1)	2 births	0 relocated	1 deaths	Kasara, Chitwan (map)Chitwan District
Chitwan Sapana Village Lodge (private) Kept totally 6 elephants	, 6 present (1,5)	1 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Dibyapuri hattisar (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	2 relocated	0 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Eco Adventure Resort (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Ratnanagar (map)Chitwan District
Gadini outpost (camp) Kept totally 2 elephants	, 2 present (0,2)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths
Ghidenighat hattisar (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (2,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Giddeni elephant camp (camp) Kept totally 0 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Bharatpur
Happy House (Om Rijal) (private) Kept totally 4 elephants	, 2 present (0,2)	0 births	0 relocated	2 deaths	Baratpur
Holiday Safari (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	1 deaths	SaurahaChitwan District
Hotel Jungle Vista (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	(map)Chitwan District
Hotel Parkland (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	1 relocated	0 deaths	Ratnanagar (map)Chitwan District
Hotel Wildlife Camp (private) Kept totally 2 elephants	, 2 present (0,2)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Ratnanagar (map)Chitwan District
Jung Bahadur Rana (Bir Narsingh Kunwar) (private) Kept totally 4 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	1 relocated	3 deaths	Kathmandu (map)
Jungle Safari Resort (private) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (0,3)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	SaurahaChitwan District
Jungle Wildlife Camp (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Ratnanagar (map)Chitwan District
Jungle World Resort (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	1 relocated	0 deaths	Bharatpur
Kanchanpur hattisar (camp) Kept totally 0 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Kanchanpur (map)Banke District Bheri Zone south-western Nepal
Kasara hattisar (Kasara Resort, Chitwan) (camp) Kept totally 6 elephants	, 6 present (1,4)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Kathmandu Central Zoo (zoo) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Kathmandu, Bagmati (map)
Khachhuwani hattisar (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 1 present (1,0)	0 births	0 relocated	2 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Khoryahoman hattisar (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (2,1)	1 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National ParkChitwan District
King Birendra of Nepal (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	1 relocated	0 deaths	Kathmandu (map)
Koshi Tappu Hattisar (KTWR) (camp) Kept totally 23 elephants	, 15 present (3,11)	11 births	4 relocated	4 deaths	Rajbiraj (map) Province No. 2 Terai, southeastern Nepal
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) (wild) Kept totally 2 elephants	, 1 present (1,0)	1 births	0 relocated	1 deaths	Bairawa (map) Eastern Nepal
Kujauli hattisar (camp) Kept totally 2 elephants	, 2 present (1,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan District
Lamichaure hattisar (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (2,1)	1 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Machan Wildlife Resort (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	1 relocated	0 deaths	Nawalparasi (map)Chitwan District
Meghauli hattisar (camp) Kept totally 5 elephants	, 5 present (2,3)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map)Chitwan District
Narayanhiti Palace (private) Kept totally 0 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Kathmandu (map)
Nature Safari Camp (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	SaurahaChitwan District
Nepal unspecified location () Kept totally 19 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	2 births	19 relocated	0 deaths
NTNC-Biodiversity Conservation Center (camp) Kept totally 6 elephants	, 4 present (2,2)	2 births	0 relocated	2 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Parsa Hattisar (camp) Kept totally 11 elephants	, 11 present (1,4)	1 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Narayanghat (map)Parsa District Province No. 2 southeastern Nepal
Rainbow Safari Resort (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	(map)
Rhino Lodge and Hotel (private) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (0,2)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Ratnanagar (map)Chitwan District
River Bank Inn (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Safaris Barahi Jungle Lodge (private) Kept totally 4 elephants	, 4 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	(map)Chitwan District
Sauraha elephant breeding centre (camp) Kept totally 89 elephants	, 51 present (19,29)	51 births	25 relocated	13 deaths	Bharatpur (map)Chitwan District
Sauraha unspecified location (camp) Kept totally 6 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	1 births	3 relocated	2 deaths	Sauraha (map)Chitwan District
Siswar elephant camp (camp) Kept totally 0 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Bharatpur Central Terai of Nepal
Sukibhar hattisar (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (0,3)	1 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Chitwan National Park (map) Chitwan District
Suklaphanta hattisar (camp) Kept totally 8 elephants	, 6 present (3,3)	2 births	0 relocated	2 deaths	(map)
Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge (camp) Kept totally 14 elephants	, 0 present (0,0)	2 births	12 relocated	2 deaths	Chitwan (map)Chitwan District
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge (Bardia) (camp) Kept totally 3 elephants	, 3 present (0,3)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Bardia (map)
Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge (camp) Kept totally 14 elephants	, 11 present (1,10)	0 births	1 relocated	2 deaths	(map)Chitwan District
Traveller Jungle Camp (private) Kept totally 1 elephants	, 1 present (0,1)	0 births	0 relocated	0 deaths	Ratnanagar (map)Chitwan District

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