Among the green hills of Kegalle, about 50 miles (85km) from Colombo on the road to Kandy in the hill country, a herd of about 75 elephants roam free in the Pinnewela Elephant Orphanage. Set up by the department of National Zoological Gardens, at Pinnawela, 90 km. from Colombo in 1975 and several animals brought here at the inception are now mature enough for breeding. Its purpose is to feed, nurse and house young elephants lost or abandoned by their mothers.
At Pinnawela an attempt was made to simulate, in a limited way, the conditions in the wild. Animals are allowed to roam freely during the day and a herd structure allowed to form.
08.00 The babies are fed on milk in the mornings and allowed to range freely on the 12 acres large grassland.
10.00 Each morning and afternoon 14.00 the animals are walked 400 meters to the river Maha Oya for a two-hour bath.
Between 16.30 and 18.00 in the evening the animals are taken to their stalls and tethered for the night.
They are then given their evening feed which is milk again for the babies and leaves for the older ones.
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