Pinnewala (also spelled "Pinnawela") is a rescue operation for orphaned or injured elephants. From a very small start, the captive population is now (2008) quoted as around 75 elephants, the largest in the world, with about one live birth per year. The herd pays its way, basically, through tourism; there is some tension between the economic need for touristic displays such as this (the elephants are herded to this spot) and naturalists' wish to let these magnificent creatures roam free throughout their designated range. The different colors of the animals seen here, are mostly a function of how much and what kind of sand they have been rolling in lately.