Pinnawala elephant orphanage is about halfway between Colombo and Kandy in the hills of central Sri Lanka. It was originally set up to look after elephants found wandering or orphaned and who were either at risk or who were posing a risk to villagers. They are captive but have a lot of space and freedom. There are upwards of 80 elephants at Pinnawala, probably the largest herd anywhere. Groups are taken to the river each day to cool down, wash, drink and mess about. The one above and below is pregnant and just wanted to rest. I tried to listen to the baby inside but either mum's skin was too thick or my hearing is fading because I didn't hear a sound or feel a kick.
The small group willingly leave the water when asked. The stick is for 'guidance'!
The group walks in an orderly manner from the river, up through a street of shops and across a main road. Quite a shock for the uninitiated tourist.
The next group down to the river was very big, we counted 48, with the largest males bringing up the rear. The group has a lot of babies in it and they like to run so the chap front left of the photo has a loud hailer to warn people to get out of the way. I am standing pretty much in front of them.
Here's one of the big guys bringing a snack with him.
We had a different kind of snack!
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