Former MP Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera was remanded till March 17 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris a short while ago.

He was charged under the Flora and Fauna Act for the illegal possession of an elephant calf.

Following the amendment of the Act in 2009, elephants are regarded as public property. Therefore, bail could be granted only in exceptional circumstances.

An elephant calf was discovered in Alan Mathiniyaramaya in Polhengoda in January 2015. Neither the Thera nor the temple had valid licenses for the elephant.