Many young elephants that are lost or abandoned by their mothers are housed by the elephant orphanages in Sri Lank where the elephants are fed, nursed and taken care of. Like human children, these elephants also need love, care and attention. The elephant orphanage centers are lacking in resources and need more volunteers to join th em in providing good care for the growing elephants. This project is a rare opportunity for volunteers who are interested in working with elephants. The giant but innocent animals' sanctuaries are located near lush green forests and idyllic sceneries.

Role of a Volunteer

You will work as assistants to the “mahouts” (elephant handlers), getting involved in the following tasks:

•  Bathing the elephants in the river twice a day
•  Cleaning out and maintaining their enclosures in the morning
•  Washing and feeding the baby elephants
•  Other assistance in construction or maintenance work (as needed)
•  Some work, such as the mental stimulation of the elephants, is usually left to the initiative of the volunteers with some guidance from the “mahouts”

Skills/Qualifications Requirements

Volunteers do not require any specific qualifications to volunteer in elephant orphanage project. But volunteers should have a deep love for animals.

Room/Food/Supervision

Global Crossroad manages room/food for volunteers. Volunteers live with the host family/hostel where we manage a separate room as well as local meals three times a day.

Volunteers will also have 24/7 access to our office in Sri Lanka as well as the mobile numbers of our coordinators. Our staff also visits each volunteers in 1-2 week intervals as a part of the program.

Location Descriptions

The elephant orphanage project is located in Kegalle, a small beautiful town about 50 miles (85km) from Colombo on the road to Kandy in the hill country. This popular tourist attraction, was established as a sanctuary covering 25 acres of lush forest by the Sri Lankan Government in 1975. Recently the sanctuary has also started a breeding program. The orphanage is accessible from Colombo by car, bus or train.

A typical day of a Volunteer in Elephant Orphanage Project:

Morning: Bathe the elephants in the river and feed the baby elephants.

Clean out and maintain elephant enclosures.

Day: Help in the construction and maintenance work of the elephant sanctuary.

Evening: Feed the baby elephants and bathe th em in the river