Eight orphaned baby elephants are being returned to the wild in Sri Lanka under a special programme.

The number of orphaned elephants has risen sharply in Sri Lanka after two decades of civil war in which elephant herds have often left behind their young when fleeing shelling by rebels or government troops.

Adult elephants have also often fallen victim to landmines and booby traps while their offspring survived.

The first group of four such elephants were sent back to the wild in 1997.

The programme became so successful that Kenya has now started a similar programme.

There are reports another is being planned in southern India.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service