How are orphaned elephants cared for near Udawalawe?

Orphaned elephant calves get rehabilitated at the Elephant Transit Home (ETH), which sits just outside Udawalawe National Park. At this place, they try to keep human contact to a minimum, so the calves can grow and achieve a successful re-entry into the wild and not become dependent.

Backed by the Born Free Foundation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the ETH gives the calves milk every three hours, but then lets them wander freely across nearby parkland during daylight. When the elephants turn four or five years old, and they can manage on their own, they are released in small peer groups into Udawalawe, or sometimes into other protected national parks.