A refuge for orphaned baby elephants, facilitated by the Department of Wildlife Conversation and supported by the ‘Born Free Foundation’ from the UK, is the Elephant Transit Home.
The foremost objective of this establishment is to rehabilitate baby elephants that have been brought into the complex and taken care of until they are strong and well enough to be released back to the into their natural habitat. Most of the young elephants in this home are those who have been hurt and affected due to human populations increasing in number which take over the elephant natural habitat for farming, gem mining, timber and more, thereby causing a major threat to elephant survival resulting in many elephants being orphaned or lost. The parent elephants have either been killed or separated from their offspring as a result of such conflicts. Therefore the Elephant Transit Home takes in baby calves, nurture and care for them back to health.
The highly competent staff at the Elephant Transit Home does everything to make sure the elephants’ needs are satisfied. They provide them with food, medical care and necessary amenities. The elephants are free to roam around and are not chained and human contact is restricted to ensure maximum survival of the elephants.
Once the elephants have grown up and are strong enough to live alone in the wilderness, they are taken back into their natural habitat. The feeding time is a must see for visitors as you have the opportunity to see the elephants rushing forward with excitement. The orphans receive milk daily, every 3 hours at 9 am, 12 noon, 3 pm and 6 pm. The home is open to visitors during these specific times. Since care-taking is costly, the Department of Wildlife Conservation has initiated a foster parent system where people can make necessary donations for food and medicinal needs. These foster parents are entitled to certain privileges, one being given the ability to give the calf a name of your choice.
What makes the Elephant Transit Home different from other orphanages is that the elephants are taken back to the wild so that they could blend in and interact well with the wild herds once they turn five years old. As per statistics according to the organisation, there were more than 110 elephants that have been returned back to the national parks around Sri Lanka.
The Elephant Transit Home is a 10-20 minute drive away from the entrance to the Udawalawe national park.
