Eth Athuru Sevana - The First Elephant Transit Home in the World

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Visitor area and feeding grounds at Eth Athuru Sevana

At the heart of Udawalawe lies Eth Athuru Sevana, the Elephant Transit Home—a sanctuary where orphaned baby elephants are cared for until they are strong enough to return to the wild. Unlike traditional elephant parks, visitors don’t interact directly; instead, they can watch the calves being bottle-fed and playing together, offering a rare glimpse into the journey of these gentle giants back to freedom.

“Eth Athuru Sevana” or the “Elephant Transit Home,” is Asia’s first rehabilitation center for elephants. Established in 1995 by the Wildlife Conservation Department, the center lies on 200 acres of land on the western border of the Udawalawe National Park, with the Udawalawe Reservoir as the southern border.

Baby elephants are sometimes wounded by traps laid by humans or by gunshot injuries. Some calves become orphaned when the mother dies or gets killed. The center takes in the sick, wounded or orphaned baby elephants and nourishes them until they are capable of living on their own and releases them to various national parks.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, the first of its kind in the world, by contrast, takes in orphaned, sick and wounded elephants of all ages and takes care of them. These elephants are animals that cannot be released into the wild due to different reasons.

The calves are treated and brought up with minimum human intervention to avoid developing an affinity with humans. The animals in this rehabilitation center have a higher capacity to live freely, and it is highly beneficial for their genetic diversity, as they are brought from different regions of the country.

Around 220 (elephant) calves have been brought to Eth Athuru Sevana since its inception, and in 1998, the first batch of elephant calves was released to the wild. The bulk of them were released to Udawalawe National Park, and the rest to Lunugamvehera National Park and Maduru Oya National Park. Thereafter, several batches of elephants have been released to various parks around the country.

Feeding Times of Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home

The calves are fed at specified times, and the visitors are allowed to see the animals only during morning and evening feeding times. All the calves are fed milk through a funnel one at a time. Each calf is trained to patiently wait till their turn, but of course, like human kids, you will find a few cheeky small ones trying to get back into the queue after being fed or get an additional quota from another feeder.

Among them, you will also see a special calf who will never enjoy the freedom of the wild. Namal, named as he was found in the Namal Oya Reservoir area caught in a snare. He was just 2 months old and was severely malnourished and dehydrated when he was found. But with the care of the staff, he has now recovered, but part of one of his hind legs has been amputated and is now fitted with a prosthesis custom-built for him.

The center allows you to visit at the feeding times of 10.30 am, 2.30 pm, and 6.00 pm daily. The Eth Athuru Sevana welcomes any contribution toward feeding the calves, which can be in the form of cash or milk powder. You can contact the Eth Athuru Sevana on the contact number +94 472 232 147.

Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home—Opening Hours

Description	Details
Open Days	365 days of the year
Monday – Sunday	8.30 AM – 6.00 PM

Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home—Ticket Prices / Entrance Fees

You don’t need to reserve tickets; they can be bought over the counter. Be at the site 30 minutes before the feeding time and buy your tickets. With lesser crowds, weekdays are the best to visit.

Description (an 18% VAT will be added to the ticket price)	Price per Head
Foreign – Adult	USD 5.00
Foreign – Children (6-12 Years)	USD 3.50
Local – Adult	LKR 100
Local – Children (6-12 Years)	LKR 50
Local – School Children	LKR 23

Viewing platform for visitors at Eth Athuru Sevana

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