Kandy, Sri Lanka. Elephant Orphanage
Admit it. It is tough to visualize an elephant orphanage. Visions of elephants in shorts like Oliver Twist asking “please sir may I have another” were short lived in my great expectations, however they were not replaced with anything very clear.
Originally set up by the government to care for abandoned or orphaned elephants it has now turned into a major tourist attraction and seems to be the economic cornerstone of a small village outside of Kandy named Pinnewala.
It has its critics. The critics are concerned that it has turned into a breeding ground as much as an orphanage, something Oliver Twist never had to concern himself with I am sure. For me, the more pachyderms the merrier. The mahouts(elephant handlers) take really good care of them and they are fed all they can eat without having to ask for another. Other than that they seem to roam free on a large sanctuary.
Twice a day the “orphans” and their parents (whatever) are lead through town to the local river to bath, something elephants love to do.
So thats it for the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage. In keeping with my pledge to do more and shorter posts. I will wait a day to tell yu about the Royal Botanical Gardens, and then the top attraction in Kandy…THE TEMPLE OF TOOTH!
Please pass this along. Make a comment and you get an elephant poop Christmas card! Thank you for reading.
Posted on February 2, 2012, in Uncategorized and tagged Elephant, Environment, Kandy, Mahout, Oliver Twist, Pinnewala, Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, Royal Botanical Garden, Sri Lanka. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
Thanks Forrest. I enjoy reading your blog and love hearing the elephants are being well taken care of.
Hey, another great post. 2013 Rose Parade theme is Oh The Places you’ll Go. With you it’s Oh the places you’ve been. Happy to hear you will be posting more often. When you don’t I daydream about the cool stuff that I know you’re doing. Love to you both…don”t forget my Christmas card.:)
If you send me an elephant poop card, I can cross another item off my bucket list. Thank you very much kind sir.
Very good written article. It will be helpful to anybody who usess it, including yours truly :). Keep doing what you are doing – for sure i will check out more posts.
Sri Lanka is an intriguing city to visit with its rich history and culture. Like all other countries, it would be a site to behold when one compares it to what you have been used to. There are several things you can see and do in this place to make this an enriching experience.