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‘We beg you…’: Peta India reacts to UP’s Arif-Sarus reunion video
Peta India has called for the release of Sarus crane, separated from Mohammad Arif and currently quarantined in a Kanpur zoo.
Peta India has called for the release of Uttar Pradesh’s Sarus crane, separated from its “human friend” Mohammad Arif and currently quarantined in a Kanpur zoo. The animal welfare organisation stated that “keeping a wild bird in a cage is not conservation” and shared the Hindustan Times video of the crane's “heartbreaking” reaction to seeing its friend after a month on Tuesday.
“We beg you @UpforestUp to please free this crane back to where the crane was found. Keeping a wild bird in a cage is not conservation. The crane's reaction to seeing the farmer who saved the bird's life is heartbreaking,” the organisation tweeted.
The bird and Arif’s friendship came to light in February when the two were seen hanging around in UP’s Amethi. Arif would ride his bike and the crane followed him everywhere, the video of which had gone viral on social media. It was reported that Arif had saved the bird’s life last year in August, owing to which they had become such good friends.
However, when UP forest officials became aware of the incident, they directed the bird be taken away from Arif, stating that it is the state bird of UP and the common public is not allowed to pet them.
On Tuesday, when 30-year-old Arif was reunited with the crane while it remained quarantined, the latter was seen desperately flying around in its cage trying to escape it in a bid to meet Arif. The emotional reunion even prompted social media reactions, appealing to the government to reunite the Sarus with its friend.
Leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had also called for the release of the bird when it briefly went missing from Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Rae Bareilly, following its separation from Arif in March and labelled the incident “shameful”. The bird was later found safely, however in the days later, it was reported to be “depressed and not eating adequately”.
The forest department also lodged a complaint against Arif in April for violating the Wildlife Act of 1972 (amended). Arif defended himself by stating that he should not have received a legal notice for rescuing the bird.
