A unique camaraderie between a 30-year-old man from Amethi - Mohammad Arif and a Sarus crane came into the limelight a month ago - before the forest department took the bird away to Kanpur Zoo. Now, a heartwarming video surfaced wherein the two met again at the Kanpur Bird Sanctuary.
Also read: ‘Depressed’ after separation from Arif, sarus consumes fish & corn after 40 hours
In the video, Arif can be seen standing outside the bird's enclosure. As soon as the bird saw Arif, he started jumping with joy. He can be seen spreading his wings and trying to find a way out of the space to meet his friend.
The Sarus crane was found by Arif in August 2022 in an unconscious state, lying injured and bleeding. While initially, Arif thought that the bird was dead, he took him home after realising that it was still breathing. The bird recovered in his home, however, post that, it did not fly away - instead, it followed Arif everywhere - which went viral on social media.
{{/usCountry}}The Sarus crane was found by Arif in August 2022 in an unconscious state, lying injured and bleeding. While initially, Arif thought that the bird was dead, he took him home after realising that it was still breathing. The bird recovered in his home, however, post that, it did not fly away - instead, it followed Arif everywhere - which went viral on social media.
{{/usCountry}}On March 6, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also met Arif and posted a picture with the bird on Twitter.
However, after the forest department was informed about the Sarus bird living at Arif's house, they took the bird and rehabilitated it at the Kanpur Zoo.
In April, Arif was also booked for allegedly violating the Wildlife Act of 1972 (amended) after the forest department filed a complaint. In his defence, Arif said that he “did not deserve a legal notice for rescuing the bird.”
"I didn’t chain the bird. It lived with me. What’s my fault? The forest department notice says there is a case lodged against me. I treated the Sarus bird and wanted it to go back to the jungle. It became my friend and did not leave,” he said.