In the town of Pinnawalla, a 45-minute drive from Kandy, this facility cares for between 70 and 100 wild Asian elephants who have been orphaned or injured (like this old guy who survived being shot by a poacher. He still has a bullet in his hide, he still has his tusks, but he is blind. he was very mellow and seemed to enjoy being petted while I aplogized for the cruelty of mankind).
Twice a day the elephants march down main street to the river to bathe. They know they own the place, and they just mosey along.
There are a lot of very young elephants in the herd. They tend to stay together like kids everywhere.
An ancillary industry has grown in Pinnewalla.
Turning elephant poop into paper is actaully an easy process because of the high fiber content of the poop. The elephants eat a lot of bamboo. We were impressed enough to purchase next years Christmas cards. So if you want a Christmas card made of elephant poop, leave me a comment!
And of course you can have lunch while watching the elephants play in the river! By the way, the Lion brand beer is pretty damn good and does not taste like elephant piss.
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