Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Overview

• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage located at Pinnawala village of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa province, Sri Lanka. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lankan Department of Wildlife Conservation.

• It is a captive breeding institute for wild Asian elephants, and it has the world’s largest captive elephant population. Visiting this orphanage gives a unique wildlife experience for locals and tourists ,and it is a memorable experience.

• This orphanage is built to care and protect wild elephants who are orphaned, injured, abandoned, and those who are unable to survive independently found in the forests of Sri Lanka. During the time the first successful birth was in 1984 and births have continued. In 2021, a 25-year-old elephant named “Surangi” gave birth to twin male baby elephants at the institute, and it was marked as the first twin elephant birth in Sri Lanka in 80 years.

• This place offers opportunities to see elephants very closely and learn about their needs and behaviors. Visitors can participate in the daily routines of elephants while feeding and bathing time. They are taken to the Maha Oya river to bathe twice a day and visitors can enjoy this view from the restaurants. This is an amazing opportunity the tourists should not miss to see the country’s most iconic animal in a way you will never forget.