Pinnawala

Last updated on 19 Apr 2023Show location

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a unique and well-known animal care institution in Sri Lanka and worldwide. It currently houses 93 elephants and was established by the late Hon. Minister Kalugalle in a remote area with ample water and mahouts available. Situated between Colombo and Kandy, the orphanage was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Department on a 25-acre coconut property beside the Maha Oya River. Its primary purpose is to provide care and protection to orphaned elephants in Sri Lanka's jungles.

Initially founded by the Department of Wildlife, the National Zoological Gardens took over the orphanage in 1978. A captive breeding program was launched in 1982, resulting in the birth of over 20 elephants. The orphanage aims to provide a natural habitat for the elephants, but they are taken to the river twice a day for a bath, and the mahouts and volunteers bottle-feed baby elephants under three years of age.

The orphanage's primary objective is to provide a lifeline to orphaned babies and adult elephants who are lost in the wilderness for various reasons, such as accidents or the death of their mothers. Farmers also kill adult elephants to protect their crops, leaving baby elephants orphaned. The orphanage allows free movement of the herd within the enclosed land, providing mating opportunities. The first baby elephant was born in 1984, and now, some orphans are fortunate enough to see their third generation born at the orphanage. Today, the orphanage has commenced a scientific captive-breeding program with the help of local and foreign elephant experts, making it one of the most successful captive-breeding programs for Asian elephants.