Elephant Orphanage was established in 16th February 1975 in a beautiful greenish land with fruitful coconut trees and having grasses over the underground, in Pinnawala, Rambukkana, Kegalle, Sri Lanka, by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. At the beginning of orphanage there were only five orphan baby elephants those who brought from different places of the island. From the inceptions to date, Neela, Wijaya, Kadira, Mathali and Kumari are some of babies that were brought to the facility still living in the orphanage. Since then orphan elephants brought to the orphanage from different parts of the island and brought up at the orphanage. They were fed with milk as well as array of fodder.
Due to loss of habitats and fragmentation of forests, due to various activities such as development of agricultural projects, human encroachment to the forest for settlement and cultivation, construction of roads and railways. Elephants are in threat for their survival. Elephants are poached for their tusks and illegal trading are some of the causes for declining of population these giants in Sri Lanka. Baby elephants are being fallen into agricultural wells, drains and pits. The resultant Human Elephant Conflicts, which records the deaths of both the humans and elephants, is the greatest threat to Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population. As a result of anthropogenic activities young animals were become orphans in the wild and for the conservation of such animals an institution was formed in 1975 under the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Since 1983 the elephant orphanage has being governing by the Department of National Zoological Gardens. First captive birth of the orphanage had taken place on 05th July 1984. There are 78 elephants in orphanage now and there are 69 births in the orphanage and increase the number of elephants in the herd.