The Sarus Crane, typically found in wetlands, is protected under Schedule 3 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. At the height of almost 150 cm, they are the tallest flying birds in the entire world.
In February last year, Mohammad Arif, 35, of Mandhka, Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district, brought home a wounded sarus crane. The following thirteen months were spent taking care of it. He was charged with violating the Wildlife Protection Act on Saturday.
An unexpected human-bird connection developed during this period and ended on Tuesday when wildlife authorities moved the crane from Arif’s home to a sanctuary in Raebareli. On Saturday, they moved it to the Kanpur Zoo after realizing that the wild was the wrong environment for a creature accustomed to modern conveniences.
The Sarus Crane, typically found in wetlands, is protected under Schedule 3 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. At the height of almost 150 cm, they are the tallest flying birds in the entire world.
Arif claims to have discovered the male crane in a field with a broken leg.“I brought it home and started caring for it. I put turmeric and mustard oil paste on its wound and tied a stick to the leg to give it support. We do the same for our hens,” explains the farmer who has a dog, a dozen hens, cows, and goats.
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He claims he never imprisoned it.“Within weeks, the bird started recovering, and soon it started flying too. It stayed in the courtyard outside the house. But it never returned to the wild for good.” Arif claims that when he rode his motorbike through the village, it would follow him around. “It would stay in the jungle when it wanted. Then, it would come to my house in the evenings and eat with me. I never held it captive.”
Farmer claims to have fed it “dal, rice, and bread… Whatever I would eat”. Yes, sarus cranes typically eat roots and tiny insects to survive.
We now know that on March 9, Arif was arrested for violating the Wildlife Protection Act. On April 2 at 11 a.m., he was instructed to record his statement.
The Indian Express on Saturday quoted Ranveer Mishra, Assistant Forest Conservator and Sub Divisional Forest Officer (Gauriganj), as saying: “We have asked him to record his statement regarding the status bird. About when, how he got it… We will take further action after analyzing his statement.”
Arif may have been drawn in by the renown the bird brought with it.
“Someone uploaded a video online, and since then, we started having visitors — journalists, locals, and other people. People would come to see how a bird that lives in the wild was living with a family,” Nazma, Arif’s sister, says. The couple gained notoriety in their community and made the news. On social media, clips of the two “friends” together quickly gained popularity.
Akhilesh Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, paid Saras Crane and Arif a high-profile visit on March 5. The bird, Arif, and the opposition leader were all featured in pictures that were tweeted.
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Later, officials removed it. Akhilesh stated that this was completed. “because he had visited the duo in Amethi”. Arif was invited to the SP headquarters in Lucknow, where he criticized the BJP for “catching” the bird during a news conference. According to officials, Akhilesh’s visit had nothing to do with the decision. “There is no connection. We took the bird away under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act,” remarked a top-ranking Amethi forest official.
Before it “disappeared,” the bird was left at the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Raebareli.
On March 22, it was discovered by 23-year-old Dileep Kumar, who claims to have saved the bird from a group of dogs that had encircled it just half a kilometer from the 800-hectare refuge. “I chased the dogs away and brought it home. It was super friendly,” Being a hero in the village of Bisaila, Kumar says.
“We informed the officials, and some people came from the sanctuary and took the bird away in an e-rickshaw. Before it left, it ate with us. We took videos and photos,” Dileep says.
According to officials, it was decided that it was best to retain the bird in a confined environment after the “disappearance episode.” Sunil Chaudhary, the chief wildlife warden, gave an order, and the bird set out on another excursion, this time from Raebareli to Kanpur, a distance of about 100 kilometers.
Manoj Sonkar, Lucknow Conservator (Endangered Species), told The Indian Express: “It is being shifted to the Kanpur zoo as it had changed its habits after staying near humans for more than a year.”
