The Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus) is a tremendous visitor attraction, and has been ever since amazed Europeans witnessed these mighty beasts act as executioners in the Kandyan Kingdom three centuries ago. At the beginning of the 21st century, elephant attractions in Sri Lanka are very much changed. Visitors mostly see elephants in the wild in national parks, or, if they are lucky, outside of conservation areas. Otherwise they may see domesticated elephants working on plantations, at temples, or participating in peraheras (processions), such as the one at Kandy. However, an increasingly popular way of observing elephants is by visiting the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawela, near Kegalle, where orphaned and abandoned wild elephants are cared for.

The fact that Pinnawela as it is commonly known - is an orphanage makes it somewhat poignant, but it is, nevertheless, a heartening place with a very special atmosphere. Most importantly, it is a positive attempt to solve an unfortunate and thorny problem. This problem began largely with the arrival of the British in the late 18th century. Until then, elephants were protected by royal decree, and when they were captured for domestication in a kraal (an enclosure into which the animals were driven) it was by the herd, so that adults and young ended up ensnared together. There were no elephant orphans other than those created by natural circumstances.

The British, however, began shooting elephants as a form of sport and also to protect the crops of the newly-opened plantations. As they killed mostly adults, it was inevitable that orphans suddenly became prevalent. Major Thomas Rogers is credited with having shot over 1,500 elephants. Two others, Captain Galleway and Captain Skinner, are reputed to have shot half that number reach. They and many others must have created elephant orphans by the hundreds, if not thousands.

Nowadays, even though elephants are no longer hunted, elephant orphans are created every day through a variety of causes. Human- elephant conflict is a prime one. Encroachment by villagers on traditional elephant lands often results in adult elephants being killed when they raid crops after their own food resources dwindle. Apart from orphans, sometimes baby and young elephants are reluctantly abandoned by their parents after falling into wells or pits in their quest for water during drought periods. On occasion they become detached from their herd and lost, especially after illness or injury.

The concept of an elephant orphanage the first in the world was initiated in 1975 by Sri Lanka' Department of Wildlife. The orphanage was originally set up at Wilpattu National Park, then moved to the Bentota Tourist Complex, shifted once again to the Dehiwela Zoo, and then finally relocated at Pinnawela. In 1978, the National Zoological Gardens took over the elephant orphanage from the Department of Wildlife. One of the results of this transfer was the establishment of a captive breeding progamme in 1982 among the handful of young adult elephants to find a home at Pinnawela. The first birth was in 1984, when a female calf was born to Vijaya and Kumari, two 20-year-olds, who were to play a prominent role in the early years of the breeding programme. Since that time, over 20 elephants have been reared, making Pinnawela one of the most successful breeding centres in the world.<break>

At the time the orphanage was shifted to Pinnawela, there were just seven baby elephants in care. Today, there are over 60, including some only a few weeks’ old. Indeed, this is said to be the largest captive herd in the world. Elephants are particularly sociable animals, so the Pinnawela herd is really one big family, with older elephants acting as surrogate mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts. Many of the babies are still quite small, sometimes only a metre or two high, exhibiting the long stiff bristles associated with young elephants. In order to simulate conditions in the wild - to a degree at least - the elephants are allowed to roam during the day in the sanctuary area.

The herd is controlled by a number of mahouts, or elephant drivers (from the Hindi meaning “Great in Measure”). They ensure the elephants feed and bathe at the right times and don’t pose a danger to visitors, for every now and again - like all children - they can become unruly. The best times to view the elephants at close quarters are around 0915 and 1315, when the elephants, young and not so young, are herded together and led to some enclosures, where the babies are tethered to posts and bottle-fed with vast amounts of milk, while the older ones are given palm leaves. After their various meals, they are driven across the road, down a lane, to the river Maha Oya, where they are bathed from 1000 to 1200 hours and 1400 to 1600 hours. There are places on the bank overlooking the river where visitors can sit and observe the elephants being scrubbed all over with a rough coconut husks. Some mahouts may even let you help them if the elephant is a particularly tame one.

Accustomed to human care and the company of domesticated rather than wild elephants, the orphans are unable to fend for themselves - even when they are fully grown - and so cannot be returned to the jungles to bolster the dwindling population. When they reach
maturity, therefore, these animals mostly join the ranks of Sri Lanka’s working elephants. Training the youngsters for their future role is obviously most important, and visitors can watch them being put through their paces. All in all, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is a very special place, providing visitors with an opportunity to observe elephants at close quarters. It is more interactive than either a zoo or a park, and it helps increase awareness worldwide not only of elephants and their behaviour, but also their plight in the modern world.