Elephant Transit Home Udawalawe

rehabilitation centers in the world. Established in 1995 by the Department of Wildlife

Conservation, the primary mission of the ETH is to rescue orphaned, injured, or sick wild

elephant calves from across the island, care for them until they are strong and self-sufficient,

and release them back into the wild.

Unlike commercial elephant orphanages that allow visitors to touch, ride, or closely interact

with the animals, the ETH enforces a strict policy of minimal human contact to ensure the calves

do not become habituated to humans, which would prevent a successful return to the wild.

Visitors gather on a shaded wooden viewing platform four times a day to watch the calves being

fed warm milk through long tubes by dedicated caretakers. The feeding session is a delightful

spectacle. As the gates open, dozens of young elephants come running down the dirt path, their

ears flapping with excitement as they jostle for position near the feeding stations. Once fed, the

calves roam freely across the expansive lakeside grounds, splashing in the mud, playing with

massive branches, and interacting naturally in herds. The center has successfully returned over

a hundred rehabilitated elephants to the wild, making a visit here a deeply meaningful

contribution to the survival of the Asian elephant.