Party Pinkies

Recently Party Pinkies adopted Pinkie the elephant (above) - we will be loading updates on her progress as and when we receive them from her home in Sri Lanka!

Here is her story.

Pinkie was only a few weeks old when she fell into a waterhole and became
badly injured. Luckily, she was rescued and nursed back to health by the
Elephant Transit Home in Sri Lanka. Pinkie is too young to survive
without her mother and needs 40 pints of milk each day! One day, when ready,
she’ll be returned to the wild.

Update May 2007

For a long time Pinkie has been mothering 'Ollie' and has now taken 'Kanthali' under her wing (or should I say ear). The three of them spend much time together. Pinkie is now 3 and a half years old and should soon be released back into the wild however whilst she is healthy she is petite for her age. She is slightly below the average height and weight for her elephant years. Therefore Dr Suhada has decided that Pinkie must stay at the refuge for another year. She will be less likely to run into difficulties when she is released if she is taken care of for another 12 months. She should be released back into the wild in June 2008. In the meantime 'Ollie' and 'Kanthali' are happy to enjoy her company a little longer.

Elephants & People

In 1900 there were 12,000 wild elephants in Sri Lanka, now there are less than 4,000. With the human population swollen to 20 million there is increasing competition for resources. New agricultural areas are often set up within the elephants' traditional range, and the wandering grazers naturally turn to this source of food. Although a Buddhist, animal-loving country, the farmers respond to this threat to their crops - often by chasing off the perceived 'invaders' and sometimes by more aggressive means including firearms. This can lead to baby elephants, not yet weaned, being separated from their mother and their herd.Every year around 30 orphans - baby elephants separated from their herd - are reported to the authorities. Many of these are found in the Northern and Eastern regions and face a long, gruelling drive to get to the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) at Udawalawe National Park. Once there, however, they get medical attention, food, shelter, and the companionship of other elephants at the park. And eventually, once they have grown up enough, they are returned to the wild in Udawalawe National Park. There are normally between 15 and 30 elephants, between 3 weeks and 4 years old, at the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home, Sri Lanka.

If you are interested in adopting an animal click on the following link www.bornfree.org.uk