Nations Trust WNPS Monthly Lecture
Bringing Them Back to the Wild: Inside the Care and Release of Orphaned Elephants
By Dr. Malaka Abeywardana, Head Veterinarian – Elephant Transit Home, Udawalawe 14th August, 6 pm, Jasmine Hall, BMICH

In a nation famed for its elephants but scarred by rising human-elephant conflict, a sanctuary tucked into the edge of the Udawalawe National Park is quietly changing the future of elephant conservation — one calf at a time.

The Elephant Transit Home (ETH), established in 1995 by Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation, is today recognised as the world’s most successful elephant rehabilitation and rewilding programme. Its mission is bold but clear: rescue orphaned elephants, raise them wild, and return them to their natural home — the wild.

Pictured: Dr. Malaka Abeywardana

Unlike conventional elephant orphanages, ETH operates on a strict hands-off policy. The focus is on restoring natural behaviours — socialisation, foraging, danger recognition — all essential for survival in the wild. To date, more than 180 have been successfully released. At least 18 have gone on to give birth in the wild — proof of ETH’s long-term impact.

At the upcoming Lecture, Dr. Malaka Abeywardana, Head Veterinarian of the ETH, will offer a rare insider’s perspective on what it takes to raise and release a wild elephant. From midnight rescues and intensive care to tracking satellite-collared herds in Udawalawe’s vast wilderness, his work spans the full arc of an elephant’s second chance at life.

A Government of Sri Lanka Wildlife Veterinarian with over a decade of field experience, Dr. Malaka has trained in Myanmar and Tanzania and now leads the ETH’s work at the frontline of elephant care and conservation. He is also a key responder to emergency callouts across the southern region, helping mitigate the growing conflict between humans and elephants.

This lecture will explore how science, policy, and compassion converge at ETH, offering a blueprint for elephant conservation that is ethical, scalable, and rooted in the wild. Attendees will gain insights into how calves learn to be elephants again, from their first steps in the "baby unit" to making friends, learning to forage, and eventually walking out of the gates for good.

“ETH is not just a facility. It’s a philosophy,” says Dr. Malaka. “Every release is a step towards restoring balance in our ecosystems.”

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society is proud to host this talk and to support the incredible work being done by the Department of Wildlife Conservation — the frontline custodians of Sri Lanka’s natural heritage.

This WNPS Monthly Lecture, proudly supported by Nations Trust Bank, is free and open to both members and non-members. All are welcome