This video post is intended to give you an idea of what to expect when visiting the orphanage…Enjoy!

<br /><a href=”http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=309090af-7f42-4427-98e4-3278a1b90cbd” mce_href=”http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=309090af-7f42-4427-98e4-3278a1b90cbd” target=”_new” title=”Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka”>Video: Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka</a>

The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was started in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife on a twenty-five acre coconut estate on the Maha Oya river at Rambukkana. The orphanage was primarily designed to afford care and protection to the many baby elephants found in the jungle without their mothers. Initially this orphanage was at the Wilpattu National Park, then shifted to the tourist complex at Bentota and then to the Dehiwala Zoo. From the Zoo it was shifted to Pinnawela. At the time, the orphanage had five baby elephants which formed its nucleus. It was hoped that this facility would attract both local and foreign visitors, the income from which would help to maintain the orphanage.

The orphanage is now home to about 60 elephants, out of which many are baby elephants found, abandoned or orphaned in the wild. They are being cared, fed and trained by the wild life authorities. The orphanage has become a resounding success and is acclaimed as the only one of its kind in the world.

The best time to visit is during the feeding times, when one will have the opportunity of seeing the baby elephants being bottle-fed. Visitors can accompany the elephants to the river close-by and join them taking their daily bath.

<br /><a href=”http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=63f303ee-2f66-4a31-b087-1f17a6591609″ mce_href=”http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=63f303ee-2f66-4a31-b087-1f17a6591609″ target=”_new” title=”Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage”>Video: Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage</a>

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