A home for wild Asian elephants, the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is situated in the village of Pinnawala on the emerald island of Sri Lanka. This orphanage, unique as it is, is famous for having the largest herd of captive wild elephants in the world. According to some reports, there were 93 elephants living in the orphanage at Pinnawala .
The Pinnawala orphanage is now an ideal place for taking care of elephants and their breeding. It was primarily established a few decades ago to offer care, love and protection to the several orphaned wild elephants that roamed the dense forests of Sri Lanka. These orphaned young elephants were either abandoned by their mothers or were separated from their herds, or were displaced from their habitats due to commercial and developmental projects in the region. These baby elephants are given the best of care along with a lot of affection by the 48 mahouts that bathe, feed and look after the elephants.
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is now a huge tourist attraction, and is open to foreign and local visitors every day. All the admission fees are utilised for the care of these elephants and visitors can help bathe and feed the great, majestic beasts that are surprisingly gentle and friendly with humans.
If you are an elephant lover then a visit to the Pinnawela on your tour to Sri Lanka is a must. Besides witnessing the elephants being fed and getting up and close to them, one of the key highlights at the orphanage, is when the elephants are taken for their daily bath in the river nearby. Given the number of elephants it is obviously a tall task to give them a bath within the facility. Come afternoons, all the happy inmates are herded down to the river which is quite a sight to take in.
A small industry strives around the elephants in Pinnawela. You will notice many shops that sell elephant dung paper and products and others that sell artefacts. To know more about the Pinnawela or to plan a tour that includes the orphanage call one of our Sri Lanka experts on +94112709409 .
[…] the Elephant Orphanage where orphaned elephants for the wild are tendered. This is called ‘Pinnawella’ on route to Kandy from Colombo. Besides, in the mid-country, are the many camping sites ideal […]