Sri Lanka’s first fully fledged Animal Hospital, built at a cost of Rs. 17 million, was recently opened at the Giritale Wildlife Veterinary Unit, under the patronage of Secretary to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife R. M. D. B. Meegasmulla.

The total cost of the hospital had been borne by the Friends of the Elephant organisation of the Netherlands. To facilitate proper animal care, the hospital is equipped with a scanning machine, an x-ray machine and a medical laboratory.