Premium wildlife series, "Baby Elephant School", has started production at Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage – the world’s largest baby elephant sanctuary in a country that has the highest rate of human–elephant conflict globally.

The series – an official U.K./Canada co-pro – is produced by Brighton-based indie Big Wave Entertainment and Serial Maven Studio’s Cantina Media, and commissioned by Channel 4 and CBC, with a pre-sale to ARTE. 

The four-episode U.K. version for Channel 4 is hosted by Welsh biologist and elephant researcher Lizzie Daly. The one-hour Canadian version for CBC’s "The Nature of Things", is hosted by Anthony Morgan. 

Both versions follow the rehabilitation of 60 orphaned elephant calves preparing for their return to the wild and then navigating their first six months of freedom. A key narrative thread follows the work of the sanctuary’s veterinary team, led by Dr. Malaka Abewardhana. 

The series is directed by Matthew Shaw (who is also the series producer) and Roberto Verdecchia.