Sri Lanka returns orphaned elephants to the jungle

Sri Lankan authorities returned six orphaned and injured elephants to the wild on Thursday after nursing them back to health under a long-running conservation project, officials said. Two females and four males, aged between five and seven, were released into the Mau Ara forest within the Udawalawe Wildlife Sanctuary, Environment minister Dammika Patabendi said.

He said it was the 26th such release of rehabilitated elephants since the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home began its programme in 1998. The calves were transported in trucks and then allowed to walk free because they were deemed strong enough to fend for themselves or join wild herds.

Baby elephants have minimal contact with humans at the transit home to ease their integration into wild herds. All elephants at the facility were rescued after being found abandoned, injured or separated from their herds.