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The eighth edition of the International Elephant Race began Monday at the Baghmara Community Forest, the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park in central Nepal. More than 20 elephants and calves are taking part in the elephant race and football match.

The tournament is also known as the "elephant festival" in the region as elephants take part in different contests.

Monday saw the heats of the elephant race. The winners will participate in the finals on Wednesday. The three-day festival also features a beauty pageant where traditionally decorated elephants are paraded before judges.

According to organizers, ten different teams from Nepal, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Brazil and a few other nations are taking part this year. About 10-thousand people in the area are directly dependent on the elephant-based tourism industry and the survival of the elephants is crucial for their livelihood.

The tournament also features a boat race and a cart race. The aim of the event is to promote internal and external tourism in the region.

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