Whether through art, pageantry, folklore or religion, elephants are an integral part of Sri Lanka’s ancestry and culture. But when the recent civil war besieged the country, humans were not the only victims of gunfire, elephants died too.

Combined with poisoning and ivory hunters, elephant numbers rapidly dwindled with about 100 killed in the wild ever year between 1999 and 2006.

Today, few live outside protected areas such as Pinnawala Orphanage in Kegalla. Over a two-day trip, these photographs capture the complex nature and personality of these magnificent creatures by examining the shapes, colours and skin textures that make them up.