If you are planning a
trip from Melbourne to Colombo, wait not and go for it as Colombo has many attractions to fill your vacation with superlative memories. The most loved attraction of Colombo is the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. This place is a shelter of elephants separated from their mothers plus of those who are born and brought up here.
The mothers of these calves are either dead after birth or got killed in the jungle. Some abandoned babies found wandering in the nearby jungles are brought up in this orphanage. One of the very few elephant orphanages in the world, this place in Colombo is truly a delight for all animal lovers. Children would love to be with the baby elephants making your family holiday an absolute fun.
The natural environment of this orphanage is a nursery and captive breeding ground for the Asian elephants. In existence since 1975, this place was established by Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Pinnawala village is 13 kms away from Kegalle town in the Sabaragamuwa province. On reaching the airport you can hire a cab or even choose a bus for reaching this place.
On your trip from Melbourne to Colombo, this place would leave you with fond memories of the elephants. You can see how they are fed everyday with 75 kilograms of food. They are bathed twice a day in the Maha Oya river. The site is truly a delight for you can see elephant herd interacting and socialising in their group. The place has veterinary facilities, bathing area and sleeping sheds.
The 25 acre land near the Maha Oya river is utilised for rearing these animals. More than 20 Mahouts take care of these elephants. When they grow up they are donated or sold to private owners. The calves are taken care by the mahouts and their food, medication and other hospitality is managed by the staff of this place.
Visitors love to get photographed with the elephants and enjoy a great deal of time with the calves. The elephant dance in the evening is the major attraction as you get to see the agility of these animals. Touching, feeling and feeding them bottled milk gives you a chance to be with them. So, on your vacation from Melbourne to Colombo, visit Pinnawala elephant orphanage and have a great time!
