What is the Elephant Transit Home?

The Elephant Transit Home is a pioneering wildlife rehabilitation facility based in Udawalawe, dedicated to rescuing, rearing, and eventually releasing orphaned elephant calves back into the wild.

Set up in 1995 by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the centre works as a crucial lifeline for calves pushed aside by human-elephant conflict. The young elephants get a specialised milk formula every few hours and are then allowed to wander freely within a safe enclosure to build natural herd behaviours. In line with its conservation purpose, the facility stays strictly hands-off when visitors come around.