The Udawalawe Elephant Transfer Home is a facility within Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka. The Elephant Transit was established in 1995 by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation. Its primary objective is to rehabilitate orphaned elephant calves for ultimate release back into the wild.
Supported by the Born Free Foundation (www.bornfree.org.uk), this complex is a halfway house for orphaned elephants. After rehabilitation, the elephants are released back into the wild, many into the Uda Walawe National Park.
Visit the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe National Park, a rehabilitation center for orphaned elephant calves, in the confidence that you are supporting an ethical commitment towards enhancing their chances of survival in the wild. The Elephant Transit Home exists for the primary objective of rehabilitating orphaned elephant calves before releasing them.
There are normally between 40 to 60 orphaned elephants and visitors can watch them being fed, from the safety of a viewing platform about 8m away, at one of the four daily feeding sessions, held every three hours from 9am until 6pm.
The elephants are never chained, but are free to roam around and play as they wish. Human contact is kept to a minimum in order to maximize their chance of survival when they are returned to the wild. There is no touching, washing or posing alongside them for photos.
The Elephants Transit Home is about 20 minutes away from the entrance to Udawalawe National Park.
Duration: 1Hour
Best Time: Year Around
Feeding Time: 9.00am, noon, 3.00pm and 6.00pm
