Orphaned Elephant Rehabilitation near Udawalawe
The Elephant Transit Home at Udawalawe is Sri Lanka's most important elephant rehabilitation centre — a government facility run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation where orphaned wild elephants are raised until they can be released back into the wild. The elephants arrive as very young calves, sometimes only days old, having lost their mothers to illness, flood, or human conflict. They are raised in groups by keepers until they are large enough to fend for themselves, at which point they are released into Udawalawe National Park with as little human conditioning as possible.
Visitors can observe the feeding sessions three times daily (10am, 2pm, and 6pm), when dozens of young elephants are brought to a large open enclosure and fed milk from huge bottles. Unlike some elephant attractions in Asia, there is no riding, no direct tourist interaction with the elephants, and no circus-style performances — the goal is to prepare animals for wild life, not domesticity.
Feeding Sessions
Three daily feeds (10am, 2pm, 6pm) where young orphans are given milk from giant bottles in a large outdoor enclosure.
Ethical Wildlife Experience
No riding, no direct contact, no performances — one of the most responsible elephant visitor experiences in Asia.
Release Programme
Elephants graduate to life in Udawalawe National Park next door — sometimes the released animals can be spotted on safaris.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round. Arrive 15 minutes before the 10am or 2pm feed for the best viewing positions.
Getting There
At the entrance to Udawalawe National Park — approximately 4 hours from Colombo. Usually combined with an Udawalawe safari.
