We landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Dec.27 and headed for the
Elephant Orphanage two days later. The
trip was three hours up and five hours back, longer than usia, made so by
rain and road construction seemingly everywhere.
We were fortunate that the only time the rain stopped was
when we entered the Elephant Orphanage and stayed that way until we left. The
orphanage is officially named the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, established in
1975 by the Department of Wildlife. It
was originally set up to protect the many orphaned elephants in that area but
it is now also a nursery and captive breeding ground. With 88
elephants, it has the largest
herd in the world.
Although the sign cautions people about getting close to the animals, the handlers make it safe to approach them and to suggest a generous tip for the service provided.
Not just Bella but Medi and Ally joined in. ( The camera man of course did not as he needed to take the pictures)
These elephants enjoyed the downtime away from the crowds.
The sign encourages feedback but I don't understand why it used monkey characters to do so.
At first I didn't understand why people would need internet in the middle of an elephant herd but then realized it enabled them to immediately post their "jungle" photos.
People did not read this sign so I wonder if they read the signs above in this blog. While I was there, I saw a handler go down the road three times to retrieve (save) people who wandered down, oblivious that they were approaching the untamed monsters.
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