Sighting an Elephant in Sri Lanka is rather easy; you may
probably be able to see more of these pachyderms than stray dogs. The lush
green forests outside the city are teeming with wild Elephants, so much so that
the Government has provided Electrified fencing in high traffic zones on
highways to ensure they do not block the roads or meet with an accident. In
Pinawella, the Government has opened up a home for them wherein they could be nurtured.
More like an orphanage, this is situated in Rambukkana, halfway
between Colombo and Kandy. It was established 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife
department amidst lush 24 acres of greenery. Other than the orphanage it also
serves as a breeding pace for elephants. Incidentally the first elephant baby
was born in 1984 in captivity and it has the largest population of elephants in
the world till date. The orphanage was primarily designed to offer care and
protection to the baby elephants found in the jungle whose mothers had died or
were probably lost.
Within the confines of their residence, they may not have
the same freedom of movement as in the jungle, though they have a huge open shack
where they can mingle freely and enjoy the company of tourists. The facility
boasts of a huge staff from Mahouts to Caretakers and Cleaners. Each morning and
noon the animals are walked a few meters across to the river Maha Oya for a
two-hour bath. Their daily diet consists of Cocunut leaves, branches from
Jackfruit trees, and logs of Kitul palm tree. Tourists are allowed to feed them
Milk and Fruits. ON attaining adulthood, some
of them are sold or donated, though a few disabled elephants make up as permanent
residents
.
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