Pinnawela orphanage is situated 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 place for elephants, twenty elephants were born since 1984, and it has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world. The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was started in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife on a twenty five acre coconut property on the Maha Oya river at Rambukkana. The orphanage was primarily designed to afford care and protection to the many baby elephants found in the jungle without their mothers. In most of these cases the mother had either died or been killed by poachers. In some instances the baby had fallen into a pitts in the jungles and would become injured. Older working elephants that retire also would go to Pinnawela.

Don't forget: Included in the price is:

• All Private transport. Inc airport collection and departure.
• Accommodation
• Meals / Drinks
• Local Staff mentoring / Support.

Daily activities

At Pinnawela they attempt to simulate, in a limited way, the conditions in the wild, and as often as possible.
Animals are allowed to roam freely during the day and a herd structure allowed to form.
08.00 The babies are fed on milk in the mornings and allowed to range freely on the 12 acres large grassland.
10.00 Each morning and afternoon 14.00 the animals are walked 400 meters to the river Maha Oya for a two-hour bath.
Between 16.30 and 1800 in the evening the animals are taken to their stalls and tethered for the night.
They are then given their evening feed which is milk again for the babies and leaves for the older ones. Plenty of food and water is available.
The leaves are mainly Coconut leaves (Cocos nucifera), but also branches from Jackfruit (Artocarpus integra), leaves, branches and logs of Kitul palm tree (Caryoty urens),
The elephants are stall fed. There is very little food material that they can gather from the premises of the orphanage except grass. Large quantities of food are brought in daily. Jackfruit, coconut, kitul, tamarind and grass form the bulk of the food given to the elephants at Pinnawela.
Each animal gets approximately 75 kg of green matter a day and in addition each gets 2kg of a food mixture containing maize, rice bran, powdered gingili seed and minerals. They have access to water twice a day from the river Maha Oya that runs by the Orphanage.
 

As a volunteer you will bath the elephants in the river, clean out and maintain their enclosures, and feed the baby elephants all with the help of the director of the handlers (who are known as Mahouts) Volunteers are expected to do a variety of tasks set including fairly physical work like removing Elephant dung, hosing down and working in hot tropical conditions. So this project would suit outdoor types who are fit and have a love of animals.

The center has a guest house facility for volunteers to use, or we arrange a local family to host. Meals are provided. Basic but secure and comfortable living. Our Sri Lankan hosts love having visitors and offer excellent service to our volunteers to relax and feel at home.

This area of Sri Lanka is in a hot jungle with all the sights and sounds to match. Despite being a major tourist attraction the work the centre does in Elephant conservation is crucial and the income from tourism does support this. Elephants are incredible animals and a joy to work with. This outdoors adventure would certainly create some lasting memories.

The area of  Pinnawela has much to see and do. Also worth visiting is the city of Kandy. Here you can visit the botanical gardens, temple of the tooth and witness some of Sri Lankas finest festivals. Kandy is Sri Lankas cultural capital and its surrounded by stunning scenery. You may even catch the chance to see snake charmers and fire walkers on your visits.

Kosgoda is a beach resort located 2 hours from the airport and 1 hour further down the coast from the Dutch fort of Galle. Kosgoda has miles of spectacular beaches and tropical lagoons with many hotels where volunteers can visit for a drink or for a small fee be able to use the pool and other facilities. Kosgoda also boasts stunning wildlife from Turtles to eagles, lizards, monkeys and other interesting habitats can be viewed at the local lagoons via boat. Across Sri Lanka our staff can arrange a huge variety of personal trips for volunteers to ancient cities, Safaris and vast Buddhist temples. Other attractions include the spice gardens, tea plantations and Adams peak in lush jungle complete with waterfalls. We can also arrange language and cultural inductions so people can fully embrace the society of Asia on a personal level, a privilege not normally available to tourists.

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