Sanctuary

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Q: Where is Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage?

Sri Lanka. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a sanctuary in Sri Lanka, at Karandupana-Rambukkana Road, Pinnawala. Its coordinates are 7.301° N, 80.388° E. The nearest national park in our atlas is Horton Plains National Park, about 72 km away.

Q: What animals can you see at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage?

8 species. Citizen-science photos record 8 species at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, including Greater Flamingo, Red Junglefowl, Helmeted Guineafowl, Swan Goose and Muscovy Duck. Those with a page of their own in our atlas show the odds of seeing them in the wild.

Q: Where can you see the animals of Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in the wild?

Greater Flamingo: Camargue. Some of the animals photographed at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage also live in the parks and cities we cover: Greater Flamingo (about 80% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Camargue), Red Junglefowl (about 70% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Kaziranga National Park) and Helmeted Guineafowl (about 80% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Meru National Park).

Q: When did Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage open?

Opened 1975. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, a sanctuary in Sri Lanka, opened in 1975, according to Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Today 8 species are photographed there.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🛖 Sanctuary, Sri Lanka 8 spp. present

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (Sinhala: පින්නවල අලි අනාථාගාරය), is a captive breeding and conservation institute for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. In 2023, there were 71 elephants, including 30 males and 41 females from 3 generations, living in Pinnawala. Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

7.301° N 80.388° E

🎟️ Visit

Essentials

Entrance

—

Tourism

High

Species present

species

Opened

1975

Size

—

Visit

Getting there

Address: Karandupana-Rambukkana Road, Pinnawala

nationalzoo.gov.lk/elephantorphanage ↗

What visitors say

🦒 Animals in captivity

Phoenicopterus roseus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

in Camargue+ 22 more parks

Gallus gallus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

in Kaziranga National Park+ 24 more parks

Numida meleagris

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

in Meru National Park+ 56 more parks

Anser cygnoides

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

in Wadden Sea National Park

Cairina moschata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

in Lago de Yojoa+ 64 more parks

LC Endemic

Dromaius novaehollandiae

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

in Flinders Ranges National Park+ 8 more parks

Elephas maximus

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

in Udawalawe National Park+ 24 more parks · Nearby records

Strigidae

Daily sighting probability —

See the group

Before you go

Where is Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage?

Sri Lanka

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a sanctuary in Sri Lanka, at Karandupana-Rambukkana Road, Pinnawala. Its coordinates are 7.301° N, 80.388° E. The nearest national park in our atlas is Horton Plains National Park, about 72 km away.

What animals can you see at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage?

8 species

Citizen-science photos record 8 species at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, including Greater Flamingo, Red Junglefowl, Helmeted Guineafowl, Swan Goose and Muscovy Duck. Those with a page of their own in our atlas show the odds of seeing them in the wild.

Where can you see the animals of Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in the wild?

Greater Flamingo: Camargue

Some of the animals photographed at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage also live in the parks and cities we cover: Greater Flamingo (about 80% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Camargue), Red Junglefowl (about 70% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Kaziranga National Park) and Helmeted Guineafowl (about 80% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Meru National Park).

When did Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage open?

Opened 1975

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, a sanctuary in Sri Lanka, opened in 1975, according to Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Today 8 species are photographed there.