Sri Lanka’s Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage marked its golden jubilee on Sunday by treating its 68 resident elephants to a lavish fruit feast featuring pineapples, bananas, melons, and cucumbers. Recognized as the world’s first care home for orphaned elephants, the facility is a major tourist attraction and a key contributor to wildlife conservation.
Chief curator Sanjaya Ratnayake highlighted the success of the orphanage’s breeding program, which has seen 76 births since the first in 1984. The orphanage recorded its first twin birth in August 2021, a rare occurrence among Asian elephants.
Originally established in 1975 in a coconut grove, the orphanage provides ample space, food, and care for its elephants. It requires 14,500 kilos of foliage daily and generates millions in revenue through tourism. Visitors can observe the elephants and even participate in bathing sessions.
Despite the success of Pinnawala, Sri Lanka faces a growing human-elephant conflict. In 2023, 450 elephants and 150 people died in clashes, prompting government plans to introduce electric fences, trenches, and other barriers to mitigate the issue.