Across from the bank of the Oya River, in a shaded area of 25 acres lies the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. One location where you are sure to see elephants while traveling around Sri Lanka. Originally developed in 1972 it began as an organization to take care of orphaned elephants from the forest and after several moves and many years has continued to provide care from orphans but has also developed a captive breeding program and serves as a safe home for elephants that have been seriously injured (one of the elephants there is blind, another lost part of her front leg due from a land mine).
As you can imagine a large group of Asian elephants makes for a popular tourist attraction. Twice a day the elephants are walked across the road - traffic coming to a halt as an airhorn blows a warning that the elephants are approaching - to bathe and play in the river. This is the place where the tourists flock. Restricted to the rocks behind a chain from there you can watch the elephants until you tire. Seeing the affection between certain pairs and catching a few frolicking together or blowing water in the air.
The vendors are not quite as enamored with the elephants despite admitting they are their source of income. Every time the walk by the racks from outside have to be drug out of the way, and beware the elephant with a chain! It has a history of being aggressive. Luckily it is the first one by, and once past you can creep out of the stall to watch the others parade past.
The rest of the day the elephants roam a small field, eating from the vegetation that is trucked in for their consumption. The smaller babies are restricted to a pen where you can touch their bristly hair as you pet their back or head. Pet an elephant! After all when else will you have that opportunity?
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