Chitwan National Park was established in 1973 and is the first national park in Nepal. The national park is not only famous for the wide range of floral and faunal diversity but also for the various conservation efforts for preservation and promotion of biodiversity of the park. Before the park was the hunting hub for the ruling class of Nepal. The park was officially established in 1973 to prevent the extinction of rhinos.

Gifted with the ideal climatic condition for wildlife and perfect vegetation for diet, Nepal was home to more than 2,000 Asian Elephants in past. Now, there are only about 200 of them remaining. Out of these 200, the tourist village of Sauraha has 40% of the national population of the elephants. The elephants in Sauraha boost the tourism of the whole country and have now become a major element upon which the majority of the local tourism depends. The majority of the population depends upon tourism based on elephants. The tourists enjoy the elephant safari since it is exciting and entertaining. Also, it is eco-friendly for it does not need jeep safaris which could be noisy and polluting.

Elephant conservation in Nepal

There are very few places in the present world where you can find the population of the elephants, tiger, and rhino increasing. A small Himalayan country Nepal has been able to achieve 365 days of zero poaching twice: for rhinos in 2011 and in 2014 for rhinos, tigers, and elephants. Thus, Nepal has been a perfect example that no poaching is possible through strong conservation commitments.

The elephants in Chitwan are an integral part of the livelihood. Some mahouts (someone who works with and looks after the elephants) spend their life looking after and caring the elephants. This tendency has created a strong emotional bond between the local people and the animal. The elephants not only boost the economy of the local people but also help to conserve the other species in the park.

Elephant conservation in Chitwan is sustainable and it does not hamper the rights of the animal. There are now changes in various practices such as the Mahouts who previously used the metal rods nowadays use a wooden stick. Also, the working load of the elephants is reduced. The elephants used to serve the safari five times a day which is now reduced to only twice.

Elephant Breeding Center: Sauraha

The elephant breeding center in Chitwan was officially started in 1989 and covers 935 sq km of area. During the establishment time, there were 20 elephants which were brought from India, Myanmar, and Thailand. The population of the elephants increased up to 57 in 2016. Recently there are 17 elephants in the breeding center and the rest are used in the Chitwan National Park. After the establishment of the breeding center, there is no need to bring other individuals of the elephants from other countries in the park.

Elephant Festival in Chitwan (Elephants as a part of the culture)

The elephants contribute a lot to the tourism in Sauraha. Understanding the importance of the elephant and to further boost the tourism in Chitwan, Regional Hotel Association Chitwan organizes an annual Elephant festival. The festival lasts for five long days and it carries the theme, ‘People, Preservation, and Prosperity.’ In 2017, the 14th elephant festival was celebrated from December 26 to December 30. Many elephants participate in the annual festival.

The elephant festival is a major attraction of the Chitwan and thus it attracts many tourists from the country as well as from all over the globe. The elephant festival is composed of various activities and events which are fun and exciting at the same time. Here are some of the events that a tourist can experience during the elephant festival:

Elephant Race

The elephant race is not something one can see very often. The elephants participate in the race and run in the straight tracks which are 300 meters long and 20 meters wide. Only six elephants participate in the race at a time and the elephants are selected by each of the participants through a lottery system. The elephants are marked with the numbers and then they divide into the group to participate. These groups are made according to the numbers from the lottery such as 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 and so on. The participants are disqualified from the race in case the elephant moves out from the track or the participants were found to use any kinds of drugs. The winner participants are moved into the successive rounds and the semi-finals and the final rounds are conducted. The participants will participate in the finals with their respective elephants.

Elephant beauty contest

The Elephant beauty contest may seem a little weird to listen, but actually, it is an interesting event. The elephants are lined up in a row, beautifully cleaned and painted, and also dressed in a proper manner. The title is given to the winner elephant based in the various criteria: the major of which come to their intelligence and appearance, similar to the beauty pageant for the women. The Mahouts bath the elephant put oil in the forehead, paint various arts and structures on the body of the elephant and apply makeup such as nail polish to make their elephant look attractive.

Other criteria include the ability of the elephant to follow the simple orders of the Mahouts, the way of the walk, postures, the smoothness of the skin and good health.

Elephant Polo

The Elephant Polo is another major attraction of the Chitwan Elephant festival which is successful to attract many national as well as international tourists. The game is not so much different from the Horse polo, but the difference is easily observable since the huge elephants and the longer sticks on the hand if the participants are the center of the game. The pitch size is 140 meters 70 meters which consist of a central line, a circle of radius of 15 meters at the center and a semi-circle of 30 meters radius from the center of the goal line.

The Elephant Polo competes in groups. There are four players in each group. There are standard polo ball and a six to 10-foot cane (similar to bamboo) stick. The game lasts for 20 minutes and has a 15 minutes interval during the game. The whistle from the referee indicates the pause and the resume time of the game. During the second half of the game, both the elephants and the goal ends are changed for each team.

The festival attracts many tourists from every part of the globe. There are participants from Scotland, Thailand, England and Hong Kong. The favorite of the local people: The Tiger Tops Tuskers also participate in the tournament.

Elephant calf football

The baby elephants trying to make a goal with their four feet and their trunk are yet another attraction of the festival. Eight calves take part in the football match and run after the ball to score a goal. The huge crowds cheer up for the favorite player. The game is really an interesting and unique experience.

Elephant Picnic

The Elephant Picnic is an eating event for the elephants. The event is more like a party to those huge mammals with a variety of their favorite foods such as sugarcane, cabbage, pumpkin, rice, and porridge. The foods are kept in a long row piled up together for the elephants, and the elephants enjoy their meal in a huge mass. In the picnic event, many elephants from the local area as well as the elephants from the nature conservation fund participate. While the event is a very happy moment for the elephants, the visitors also enjoy the scenario of the large crowd of the elephants in the same place.

Elephant bathing

Elephant bathing is an exciting and entertaining activity one can take part in. The tourists can enjoy the back ride of the elephant and make a dive in the Rapti River with the elephant. The elephant bathing activity is so much fun in just looking it from the distance, left aside the participating. The elephant bathing activity is a new experience to get wet with the animal.

Chitwan organizes the elephant festival every year. The celebration is the representation of the close relationship between animals and human beings. The animal has now become part of their culture and thus reflects the sense of attachment and importance of the animal in their life.