Since 2016, our EleFriendly Bus has been making sure local school children travel safely through the elephant corridor near Wasgamuwa National Park.
Before the EleFriendly Bus arrived, children risked their lives every day walking to and from school through an ancient elephant corridor. And every day, elephants were the target of angry villagers who shot at them to scare, hurt and sometimes kill them. That’s because elephants and humans share the same forests, fields, roads and corridors.
School children, farmers and other pedestrians and cyclists too often found themselves face to face with a huge and potentially aggressive elephant – a deadly mix.
Tragically, human-elephant conflict results in the deaths of more than 80 people and 250 elephants each year in Sri Lanka, but we are working hard to combat this at a local level.
Our new, 24-passenger EleFriendly Bus is beautifully designed and fun to ride with all sorts of colorful images and educational messages about elephants painted on the interior walls and ceiling. Every ride is an educational experience, and a chance to cultivate understanding among villagers about the plight of Sri Lanka’s endangered elephants.
Since launching our EleFriendly Bus in May of 2016, daily school attendance is way up. Local farmers are able to spend more time and earn more income tending their gardens, free from the daily burden of patrolling the elephant corridor to keep their children safe.
Sri Lanka’s children are learning to love rather than fear elephants, and wild elephants are free to safely roam their ancient elephant corridor!
We offer individuals and families a rare opportunity to work alongside scientists, conservationists, educators, community partners, and local villagers deep within the heart of beautiful Sri Lanka. Whether you’re traveling alone or with a group, for fun or for business, our programs offer a wide variety of options to meet your needs and fulfill your interests while helping to support our critical conservation and research work.
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+1 973 767 6063 (USA)
+94 74 351 5363 (Sri Lanka)
info@slwcs.org