A love saga of a wild Sarus (crane) – a state bird of Uttar Pradesh and Mohammad Arif, 30, from Amethi district, is now embroiled in a legal battle that surprises wildlife experts.
Arif spotted an injured bird in his agricultural field last February 2022. He nursed the injured bird’s leg for three months, and later both befriended each other. Soon, Arif became famous for his friendship and became viral on different social media. Even the former Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav chief minister visited Arif’s home and bird friendship.
Soon the bonhomie between the bird and Arif had taken a turn as Uttar Pradesh Forest Department separated them. On 21 March, Chief Wildlife Warden Sunil Chaudhary ordered officials to take away the bird and charged Arif with violating the law. The decision of government officials appalled wildlife enthusiasts.
“To my mind, the bird was not in wrongful restrain and free to go outside in search for forage is not a crime,” says MK Ranjitsinh, India’s leading wildlife conservationist who drafted India’s first wildlife protection act, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, under which Arif is charged with violation of the law.
The Forest Department first shifted the Sarus to the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Rai Bareli, around 50 km west of the Amethi district where Arif lives. Soon the bird disappeared from the sanctuary, which was later sighted in Bisaiya village, five km away. After the bird shifted to Kanpur Zoo, where it became a centre for attraction for Zoo goers.
Dr Asad Rahmani, former Director of the Bombay Natural History Society and famous Birder visited Arif on 13 March and advised him to take care of the bird and inform forest officials.
“I visited him and found that bird was not in captivity,” says Rahmani. “I advised him that the bird has adopted you instead of you. Inform the local forest officer that the bird is not willing to go away,” he added.
Rahmani, a well-known conservationist of the country, explains that animals are well aware of human behaviour and behave according to it. Birds maintain distance if they feel unsafe. Chaudhary asked Arif to register his statement on 2 April.
“I would request forest officials to treat this case on the human ground as the bird was healthy and free,” says Rahmani. While another wildlife activist agrees with the forest department's action.
“I feel feeding of the bird is where Arif made some mistake but it should not be blown out of proportion as the bird was not in captive,” says Ajay Dubey, a Bhopal-based wildlife activist.