Pinnawela orphanage is situated in Rambukkana, northwest of the town Kegalla, halfways between the present capitol Colombo and the ancient royal residence Kandy in the hills of central Sri Lanka. It was established 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife department. This 24 acres large elephant orphanage is a also breeding pace for elephants, the first elephant baby was born in 1984, and it has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world. Between 1975 and 2012, 67 animals were born here.
The orphanage is very popular among local and foreign tourists. The main attraction is the opportunity to observe the bathing elephants from the broad river bank as the herd interacts socially, bathing and playing.
The orphanage is open to the public daily, and all admission fees are used to look after the elephants. Visitors to the park can view many different aspects of the care and daily routine of the elephants, such as bottle feeding of elephant calves, feeding of all other elephants, and bathing. Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is also the subject of a report by the Born Free Foundation which calls into question the animal welfare at the orphanage.
