A Look Inside the Largest Baby Elephant Sanctuary: A Unique UK-Canada Collaboration
A collaborative natural history documentary project between the United Kingdom and Canada will explore the lives of elephants at the world’s largest baby elephant sanctuary.
Channel 4 and CBC are producing *Baby Elephant School*, which will highlight activities at the Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka. The 30-year-old facility cares for up to 80 orphaned elephant calves at any given time and has successfully returned over 170 elephants to their natural habitats, many of whom have subsequently had calves of their own.
Two distinct versions of the series will be created. The UK version will be hosted by Welsh biologist and elephant researcher Lizzie Daly, whereas the Canadian rendition, airing on CBC’s *The Nature of Things*, will be led by Anthony Morgan. Both versions will document the rehabilitation of 60 orphaned elephant calves as they prepare for their return to the wild.
*Baby Elephant School*, which has also been pre-sold to Arte in France, represents a rare factual co-production between the UK and Canada. The project is a collaboration between Canada’s Cantina Media, backed by Serial Maven, and the UK’s Big Wave Entertainment.
Kirstie Mclure, head of Big Wave, stated, “From the outset, *Baby Elephant School* has embodied everything we stand for – access-driven storytelling, global collaboration, and deep respect for the natural world.”
Julia Chang, an executive at Serial Maven, noted, “Projects like this come to life through creative deal-making, strong international partnerships, and a shared commitment to getting bold, important stories off the ground. We’re proud to be part of a co-production that brings together such an outstanding group of partners.”
