The above order was made after the Additional Magistrate took up a case filed by the CID over an elephant calf being kept at the Alan Mathiniyaramaya temple without a permit.

The judge also ordered to look into whether the legal redress could be sought under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.

A two-and a-half-year-old elephant calf was found inside Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera’s Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple at Polhengoda earlier this year.

It has now been proved that the elephant calf was caught from a forest reserve.

The CID has informed the court that a mahout named K.A. Suresh had stated that he had taken care of a grown elephant for 8 months. The man had added that there was a new elephant calf in the temple when he had returned after going home for the Sinhala / Tamil New Year.

The statement had further cited Ven. Dhammaloka Thera as to saying that the calf was obtained from the Pinnawala elephant orphanage.