Elephant safari Sri Lanka

I am in Sri Lanka at the moment sourcing natural sapphires and visiting my family and friends. Along with some of my best friends, we visited Udawalawe National Park located in south Sri Lanka spreading across approximately 300 km².  This is home to many animals including elephants, monkeys, birds, leopards, deers and water buffalos. It is estimated that approximately 400 elephants live in this area. The Department of Wildlife Protection protects elephants and other animals from poachers and hunters in this area. 

I have visited this park a couple of times earlier, but the experience is magical each time. It was great to see elephant families relaxed and enjoying the wilderness. Amongst them were a few mischievous baby elephants. 

We also visited Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home; home for orphan elephants.  They do an extraordinary job in taking care of orphan elephants. None of the babies are kept by force; they simply live in the wild and visit the transit home every 3 hours for a few litres of milk. I cannot appreciate enough the work the staff and volunteers do tirelessly 24/7. There are 40 baby elephants under their care at the moment. If you are able to contribute, please do so by visiting in person or by online donations. 

If you were wondering whether to visit Sri Lanka, here is another reason! More updates to come.

This wild elephant swims across the lake to reach the bank so she can spoil herself with mango treats given by the bystanders. Not entirely sure whether its a good habit, but hey!