The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a common en-route stop to Kandy and provides visitors with the opportunity of seeing a large number of elephants at close quarters.
The orphanage was established in 1975 when it had just seven orphaned elephants; with the assistance of local and foreign elephant experts, Pinnawala started a successful captive breeding program, and the first baby elephant was born in 1984.
Nowadays, around 80 elephants at Pinnawala roam freely around the sanctuary. Feeding and bathing occur twice a day, allowing visitors to see the baby elephants being bottle fed and the entire herd taken for a bath in the nearby river.

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