Ampara Elephant Transit Home

The Ampara Elephant Transit Home, managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, operates on a similar model to the more famous Udawalawe Transit Home but receives far fewer visitors, making each encounter more personal. The centre takes in orphaned calves, typically those whose mothers were killed by human-elephant conflict or natural causes, and raises them until they can be reintegrated into the wild. Feeding sessions, where keepers bring milk and fruit in large buckets, typically occur at 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM. The number of resident elephants fluctuates between 20 and 40 depending on intake and release cycles. Ampara town itself is the administrative capital of the Ampara district and a useful overnight stop when exploring the east coast between Arugam Bay and Batticaloa.