Amie’s Journey: A Story of Hope and Conservation

Just outside Udawalawe National Park, “Amie”, the baby elephant and her ailing mother were discovered by the team at Eth Athuru Sevana Udawalawe (Elephant Transit Home). The mother was critically ill, suffering from a severe liver infection. Despite the team’s best efforts to save her, she unfortunately did not survive. Consequently, in March 2024, the baby elephant was rescued and brought to Eth Athuru Sevana.

As human and elephant populations grow, the challenges of sharing limited land resources have intensified. Tragically, around 200 elephants die each year in Sri Lanka due to this human-elephant conflict, and many baby elephants suffer injuries from human activities such as traps and gunshots. Eth Athuru Sevana (Elephant Transit Home), Asia’s first elephant rehabilitation centre, was established by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka in 1995 to protect these threatened elephants. Located on a 200-acre site on the western border of Udawalawe National Park, the centre provides minimal human intervention, allowing baby elephants to develop a greater capacity for living freely. Sick, wounded, or orphaned baby elephants receive care until they are ready to live independently. To date, Eth Athuru Sevana has rescued more than 200 baby elephants and successfully released them into national parks such as Udawalawe, Lunugamvehera, and Maduru Oya.

At Thema Collection, sustainability is a core value. In May 2024, Amie’s care was supported through the Foster Parent Scheme, part of the sustainability initiatives at Thema Collection’s property Waraka Udawalawe, in collaboration with the Biodiversity Education Research Initiative (BERI) by Thema Collection. Named “Amie,” which means “friend” in French, this little elephant is thriving thanks to the foster parent scheme and the love and nourishment provided by Eth Athuru Sevana. Now a healthy 2-year-old calf, Amie will continue to grow safely at the Eth Athuru Sevana until she is ready to be released back into the wild.

Amie’s story highlights the vital importance of conservation efforts in protecting wildlife. For more updates on Amie and to learn about our ongoing projects, visit our social media pages and website.