The
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, established
in 1975, commenced with seven orphans.
Today some of these orphans enjoy the
fortune of seeing their grandchildren
born in the same location. The original
objective of establishing the orphanage
inclined more towards tourism, but is
soon became a conservation and educational
centre. With the help of local and foreign
elephant experts, Pinnawela started
a scientific captive-breeding programme
for elephants. The free movement of
the herd enhanced the chances for respective
individuals of both sexes to get together
and mate. The nearby river played a
dominant role in this regard, and in
1984, the first baby elephant of Pinnawela was
born.
The success story of Pinnawela has drawn
the attention of scientists from all
over the world. A considerable number
of books and research articles on Pinnawela
have been published in several languages.
The members of the Pinnawela herd have
been filmed, videoed and photographed thousands of
times by professionals, and millions
of times by amateurs. The message of
conservation from Pinnawela has been
passed on to thousands, if not millions
of people, after their visit to the
orphanage.
