Chitwan National Park is the first national park in Nepal. It was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of 952.63 km2 (367.81 sq mi) and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal in the districts of Nawalpur, Parsa, Chitwan and Makwanpur. In altitude it ranges from about 100 m (330 ft) in the river valleys to 815 m (2,674 ft) in the Churia Hills.
The Khorsor Elephant Breeding Centre is part of the Chitwan National Park. The government has set up this breeding centre with 20 elephants from India, Thailand and Myanmar in 1985 with the objective of breeding and rearing the elephants needed for patrolling in the forest and for research on conservation.
Since the establishment of the breeding centre, more than 50 elephants have been born and raised here. At present it has nine calves, eight of which are males.
Tourists visiting Sauraha also visit the Khorsor Elephant Breeding Center to watch the elephants and the frolicking cubs and also to feed them with bananas and other fruits they bring with them.
