In UP, man-bird ‘friendship’ ends with case against him

The sarus crane, usually found in wetlands, is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh and protected under Schedule 3 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. They are the world’s tallest flying birds, standing around 150 cm tall.

Arif says he found the male crane with a broken leg in a field. “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,” says the farmer who has a dozen hens, a dog, cows and goats.

He insists he never kept it captive. “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 says it would follow him around when he went on motorcycle rides in the village. “It would stay in the jungle when it wanted. Then, in the evenings it would come to my house and eat with me. I never held it captive.”

The farmer says he fed it “dal, rice and bread… Whatever I would eat”. To be sure, sarus cranes usually survive on small insects and roots.

Now, it is learnt that Arif was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act on March 9. He has been directed to record his statement on April 2 at 11 am.

Ranveer Mishra, Assistant Forest Conservator and Sub Divisional Forest Officer (Gauriganj), told The Indian Express Saturday: “We have asked him to record his statement regarding the sarus bird. About when, how he got it… We will take further action after analysing his statement.”

What, perhaps, did Arif in was the fame that came with the bird.

“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,” says Nazma, Arif’s sister. The duo became local celebrities and made headlines. Videos of the two “friends” together went viral on social media.

On March 5, a high-profile visitor came to visit the sarus crane and Arif — former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The Leader of Opposition tweeted photographs of the bird, Arif and himself.

Officials later took it away. Akhilesh claimed this was done “because he had visited the duo in Amethi”. He invited Arif to the SP headquarters in Lucknow and addressed a press conference slamming the BJP for “capturing” the bird. Officials say the move had nothing to do with Akhilesh’s visit. “There is no connection. We took the bird away under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act,” said a senior forest official in Amethi.
Contacted for a comment on Akhilesh’s allegations, state BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said: “He tries to make non-issues into issues. Sometimes, it is sand, sometimes sarus. What happened with regard to the bird in Amethi is as per rules and regulations.”

The bird was left at Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Raebareli before it “disappeared”.

On March 22, it was found around half-a-kilometre away from the 800-hectare sanctuary by 23-year-old Dileep Kumar, who says he saved the bird from a pack of dogs who had surrounded it. “I chased the dogs away and brought the bird home. It was super friendly,” says Kumar, hailed as a hero in Bisaila village.

“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,” says Dileep.

Officials say that after the “disappearance episode”, it was decided that it was best to keep the bird in a controlled environment. An order was passed by Chief Wildlife Warden Sunil Chaudhary and the bird started another journey — this time from Raebareli to Kanpur which is roughly 100 kms.

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.”
An official in the Forest Department said, “Because it stayed around people, it may find it difficult to survive in the wild. It has become somewhat domesticated and hence, it will be better if it is kept at the zoo where it can get the best facilities and remain healthy.”

Officials say that there are around 15,000 sarus cranes in UP, with most of them concentrated in Etawah, Mainpuri, and Kannauj districts.

At the Kanpur Zoological Park, the crane was undergoing tests to ascertain if it was healthy.

Zoo Director Krishna Kumar Singh said: “It will undergo a 15-day quarantine. Then, we may keep it in an enclosure.”

Arif, however, isn’t convinced. “Mujhe lagta hai usko azaad rakhna chahiye,” he says.

Asked if he will visit the bird at Kanpur zoo, he says, “If the authorities give me permission, I will go, and I am certain my ‘bachcha’ (child) will recognize me.”