
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is situated in the town of Kegalle, halfway between Colombo and the ancient royal residence Kandy. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Department in a 25 acre coconut property adjoining the Maha Oya River. Elephant orphanage was originally founded in order to afford care and protection to the many orphaned Elephants found in the jungles of Sri Lanka.