Elephant Mahouts at Pinnawala received a training programme on showing compassion towards Elephants – A Masterclass for Mahouts!

In recent times there has been a great deal of debate regarding the supposed mistreatment of elephants at the Elephant Orphanage Pinnawala by the mahouts. This has become a very intense topic on the island since some claim that this is largely due to misinformation while others claim the mahouts aren’t aware of their abusive behaviour. The sanctuary is one of the island’s top tourist attractions, second only to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, with many tourists travelling through entities such as Cinnamon Air to witness the gentle giants of Pinnawala. Unfortunately, a lot of mahouts don’t receive the recognition they deserve in the community. Additionally, professional training was provided to the mahouts, in the form of a residential training which lasted six days in Girithale in order to boost their ability to handle the elephants of Sri Lanka.