Dear visitor, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! Thank you very much for taking the time out to give us this detailed feedback. While we appreciate your comment, would like to clear your vague areas of your visit with us. Firstly, please note, as you said, our ultimate effort is protecting these orphan elephants who were stranded in the wild for many reasons and give them a happy and comfort environment in this facility. Our institution does not put elephants on display; like animals are displayed in zoos and their daily routine also focuses their well being. Especially, bathing event has designed to fulfill their water requirement and enhance the physical fitness of the elephants. They are headed to water to twice a day in the river Ma- Oya where some distance of the premises and it gives additional benefit to enhance their physical fitness by walking. Jumbo bathing event also there for focusing wellbeing and it enhances interrelationship between elephant and human. Further, in here we are thankful for your correct understanding about the managing certain bull elephants by using chains and you are true that visitors have an opportunity to feed the elephants with an Rs.250.00 worth fruit basket. However, as a fully government institution our, finance ministry decides the entry fees for government institutions. Therefore, we are not in a position to change it. In addition, we do not offer to the visitors elephant rides or performances and we have allowed to live as naturally as possible in the facility. At the same time, we sincerely apologize for the unwelcoming experience you had with us during in photography and we will certainly consider it, along with responsible administrative staff. Once again, thank you very much for visiting the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and share the issues with us. We welcome you back to Pinnawla Elephant Orphanage in the future. From, PEO Team.

Dear visitor, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! Thank you very much for taking time to write us and sharing your experiences following your visit. We are sorry about not attending the institution. However, we highly appreciate seeing how our institution works for the animals and giving an important and accurate interpretation of it. As you mentioned in your review, certain bull elephants are chained to provide protection for the other elephants as well as visitors. It is important your understanding that elephants are extremely powerful animals many times the size of humans. Thus, it is not an easy task to control such large creatures in the facility. However, our mahouts look after them in the best possible way. Further, as a dedicated institution for the elephant welfare, we bare a huge cost for their welfare specially their food, medicine and all the facilities of them. We provide utmost comfort for them and we are striving here to protect this endangered species for ensuring future existence. Next time we invite you to visit the institutions and we welcome you for a more memorable stay. Thank you. From PEO Team.

Dear Lilja, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! “Maharaja Elephant village”, the place you mentioned, is not Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (PEO), and it is a private organization. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a government institute under the National Zoological Gardens and our main purpose is conservation and breeding of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus maximus), providing care and shelter to orphaned elephants that were stranded in the wild due to many reasons. We never perform any riding for visitors and we are highly concerned about their utmost comfort in the facility. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage receives orphan calves of various ages from the wild. Then they are fully integrated into the PEO herd, which is led by an adult female (matriarch). The elephants of PEO are not fully tamed or trained; they are kept in semi-wild conditions, and they cannot be ridden, nor can they be made to work, but the elephant keepers (mahouts) can lead them to the river Ma Oya for bathing, the free-roaming area for feeding, or tether them at their assigned places in elephant sheds in the evening. Therefore, we welcome you next time to the PEO for a more memorable stay. Have a nice day! Thank you From PEO Team

Dear visitor, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! Thank you very much for visiting Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and your descriptive feedback. We are so pleased to hear that you were satisfied with the visit and it will definitely help the visitors who always find the new destinations around the world. As you said, entry fees for the SARRC countries are available at that price in the premises and elephant bathing wonderful scenery can see as you mentioned time at the riverside. We are truly grateful for your lovely feedback and perfect rating. We welcome you once again for those memorable experiences at PEO and have a nice day! From, PEO Team.

Dear Vinod M, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! Thank you very much for taking time and sharing your experience with us on tripadvisior. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us as we strive to improve with each and every visit. Firstly we are sad to know that you were disappointed with your resent visit at PEO. Actually, here we have designed both fruit feeding and jumbo bathing event to the visitors who love to have those wonderful experiences. Fruit feeding event starts at 09.00 a.m. at park number 03 in the premises and it functions until the end of the amount of fruits required for elephants per day. The price of one fruit basket per elephant is Rs.250.00 and we issue a valid ticket for it. Further, it should be mentioned that our nutrition section assures the quality of their fruits and only recommended fruits are given for the elephants at the premises. Jumbo bathing event also functions at 10.15 a.m. to 11.45 & 2.15. to 3.45 in the river and tickets for that event are available at the ticket counter for Rs.750.00. These activities are based on elephant’s welfare and we always strive to keep them safe and best possible comfort in the facility. In addition, all the revenue generated are for the welfare and upliftment of the elephants and please note that entry tickets are not valid for these activities. Therefore, those who wish to participate these activities at the PEO, have to pay extra money. So, we cordially welcome you back to the PEO for have these wonderful experience and we wish you best of luck. Thank you. From, PEO Team.

Dear Daniela, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! We thank you for your feedback and we feel sorry about your visit with us fell short expectation. Here, we hope to resolve the issues that you have raised on us. Firstly, please note this is a government institution in Sri Lanka and our financial ministry decides the entry fees for government institutions. Therefore, we are not in a position to change the entry fees at PEO and it is impossible to issue a separate ticket to visit only elephant bathing event at PEO too. In addition you have focused on your review that the elephants in here are not having anything to play with and here it needs to explain their facilities which we have established for them. Especially elephants have reserved around 14 acres at the premises to roam and play with each other and it has established mud and sand pits to wallow mud and sand, as they are fond of play with mud and sand materials. In addition, they have a great opportunity to have a fun in the water at riverside while fulfilling their daily water requirement. Actually, we have given top priority to provide mental stimulation through enrichment activities in the facility. Further, the tree enclosures that you have mentioned on your review are providing shelter to the orphan elephants who are suffering from multiple type of health condition in the facility and they are getting quick attention every time from our veterinary doctors at PEO. In addition, there are some orphan bull elephants and older elephants who spend their saddle season leisurely. Further, it is a complex process to reintroduce captive elephants back to the wild and it might increase the human elephant conflict in Sri Lanka too. However, we are currently experimenting with it. Chaining and using bull hooks for some elephants in the facility are for some inevitable and multiple reasons. Especially the uncontrolled bulls with violent behaviors, elephants under veterinary treatments, elephants in their musths period are the compulsory situations of chaining elephants at PEO and now it is happy to inform you that currently we are working towards to avoid the chaining at the those situations too at PEO. Ongoing project at PEO called “Chain free born free” is a massive step against the chains and in future, you can experience its success at PEO definitely. Finally, it should be noted, our conservation purpose is different from national park’s conservation methods and we are under the ex-situ conservation. Further as a fully government institute all the revenue generated will be deposited in government accounts and our government spend a huge cost to maintain them in the facility. you may be know that even feeding for an elephant is very costly and it’s close to Rs. 10000.00 per day. We facilitate everything what they need in the facility and we hope that you will understand our efforts at PEO to conserve these magnificent species for the future existence. We welcome you back to the PEO again. Thank you. From PEO Team.

Dear Visitor, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephanat Orphanage! Thank you very much for taking time to write us and sharing your lovely experience with our giants at the riverside. Firstly, we would like to address your matter regarding use of the road. Actually, Hotels in the area sharing the road to the riverside with rest of the community including animal’s walkway. When elephants are in the riverside, no vehicles are allowed to use the road. So all the visitors including foreigners have to walk in the road with a valid ticket from 8.30 am. To 4.00 pm. It also should be noted that we are a government institute under the Department of National Zoological Gardens and the surrounding hotels are owned by outside vendors. Then, we are pleased to know that you were enjoyed with our giants at the riverside and as you said, it is so fun to visit their behaviors when they are bathing mud and water. In addition, as you said certain elephants are in chains due to the uncontrolled and aggressive behaviors and thanks for understanding such situations. So, we hope your problems are clarified and look forward to visiting the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage next time. Thank You. From PEO Team.

Dear Indyy, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! Thank you very much for visiting Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and writing your feedback on tripadvisor. It is deeply distressed to learn your visit us fell short expectation and you are true that our entrance fee is 3000.00 at PEO. Fruit feeding event at PEO starts at 9.45 a.m. and it functions till the end of the amount of fruits required for elephants per day. Actually, milk-feeding event has been temporally stopped at PEO and we are currently working towards to give that lovely experience to you again at PEO. In addition, we have erected direction boards to make you aware about the sight at PEO and please be kind enough to fallow those signs. Our main herd between 1.00 p.m to 2.00 p.m is at the free roaming area and orphan certain elephants who cannot go to the river with multiple health conditions are under the enclosures at that time. Further, as a dedicated institute for elephant conservation In Sri Lanka, we daily focus an attention to their mental and physical health conditions and it has established many enrichment activities for their mental stimulation. They are spending most of the daytime in free roaming area interacting with each other and they exhibit their social behaviors like wild elephants. Mud and sand pits are there to wallow mud and sand as they are fond of having them and they are headed to water twice a time a day to full fill the daily water requirement and have a fun in the water. We are an institute that work for their welfare and we assure you it. We welcome you back to the PEO again. Thank you. From, PEO Team

Dear Ayesha, A fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage! Thank you very much for visiting Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and sending us your perfect ratings for us. We are so grateful for choosing this place as your favorite place and we look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you back to the PEO. Thank you PEO Team