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Once abundant throughout the lowland forests of Nepal, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are increasingly under the risk of extirpation owing to rapid human population growth and subsequent resource demands including poaching (Kharel 2001). The population of resident wild Asian elephants in Nepal has been estimated to be between 109-142 animals (DNPWC 2008) occurring in four isolated populations (Eastern, Central, Western, and far-western)(Pradhan et al. 2011) and inhabit an area covering about 10,982 km2 of forest (DNPWC 2008).

Nepal has a long history of capturing, taming, and use of elephants. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has been the government institution responsible for the management of domesticated elephants since 1978 (Pradhan et al. 2011). Currently, there are a total of 208 captive elephants in Nepal of which 94 are owned by Protected Areas (government), 8 by the National Trust for Nature Conservation-a national NGO, and 106 are privately owned. Captive elephants are used for patrolling parks, forest excursions, tourism, and research activities. With the recognition of the importance of captive elephants, the Nepal Government established an elephant breeding center at Chitwan National Park in 1986.