Few conservation milestones are as deeply moving as seeing an orphaned elephant calf, raised through years of dedicated rehabilitation, take its first confident steps back into the natural world. Every successful reintroduction represents not just survival, but the chance for an elephant to thrive independently as part of a wild herd once more.
The Sanctuary: Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home (ETH)
Nestled adjacent to Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka, the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) serves as a vital refuge for injured, displaced, and orphaned calves. Unlike conventional captive facilities, the primary objective of ETH is rehabilitation and rewilding—ensuring human contact is kept to a minimum so calves retain their natural wild instincts and herd social structures.
Since 2011, Dilmah Conservation has partnered with ETH to support calf care and develop educational infrastructure, including:
-
The Elephant Knowledge Walk: Recognized as one of the country's foremost wildlife information centres, designed to educate visitors on elephant ecology, the complexities of human-elephant conflict (HEC), and long-term conservation solutions.
-
Direct Calf Sponsorships: Providing critical veterinary care, specialized milk formulas, and daily nourishment required until calves are mature enough to forage independently.
Dr. Tempe Adams - a leading elephant biologist known for her work at the crossroads of wildlife, science and the human experience - called it the "Most successful Elephant rewilding programme in the world".
Stories of Hope: The Calves We Sponsor
Reintroducing an elephant to the wild is a years-long journey. Over the years, several remarkable calves have passed through this rehabilitation program.
Meet Baby Dilmah and the other adopted calves.
-
Baby Dilmah (Adopted 2017 | Released August 2022): Rescued after tragically losing her mother to a "jaw bomb" (an explosive bait trap tied to human-wildlife conflict), Baby Dilmah received years of round-the-clock rehabilitation. In August 2022, she completed her journey back into the wild, where she continues to roam freely.
A bit of a celebrity - follow Baby Dilmah's journey on her socials.
-
Baby Ted (Adopted 2014 | Released 2020): Named in honour of Sir Graham Henry KNZM (the 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning coach of the New Zealand All Blacks), Ted grew into a strong, independent juvenile before his successful release into the national park.
-
Baby Dilly (Currently Sponsored): Rescued in Kilinochchi after being separated from her herd at just five months old, Dilly was stabilized at the Wildlife Health Management Centre before arriving at ETH. Today, she is growing alongside her peers and learning essential social cues for her future release.
-
Baby Amaya & Others: Part of an expanding legacy of calves supported on their path toward independence.
The Rewilding Process: Why It Matters
Returning an elephant to the wild is not simply about releasing an animal into a forest—it is a gradual, carefully monitored transition. Calves form social bonds in foster herds at ETH, learn essential foraging strategies, and are tracked post-release via radio collars and field monitoring teams.
Through patient rehabilitation, these elephants do not just survive human-wildlife encounters; they return to fulfill their ecological roles as ecosystem engineers, shaping forest landscapes and securing the future of their species.
