Sarus not to be released in a sanctuary
The Kanpur Zoo has found that the Sarus bird, who became famous for its friendship with a human, is female, and will be paired with a male. The zoo will not release the bird into a sanctuary, as they see it as a lucky find due to the scarce female population of the bird in the area. The bird has not been eating properly since being brought to the zoo in March, and officials are working on improving its diet.
A month after the Sarus whose immense love for his human friend Mohammad Arif set the social media on fire, the Kanpur Zoo administration has found the bird is a female.
The finding derails any hope of the bird being released in a sanctuary, as the zoo sees it a lucky discovery because the female population of this bird is scant in this part of the country.
KK Singh, chief conservator of forests, Kanpur ruled out any plan to release the bird in a sanctuary as many wildlife experts and Arif have been demanding.
The bird that is not eating properly since it was brought to the zoo on March 29 last, will be paired with a male bird, said Singh.
Singh added: “Lab tests confirm that the bird is female and is now being shifted to an enclosure next to a male Sarus. It is being done so they can become used to each other. This is our first step.”
“Their behaviour will be monitored for two weeks, then it will be decided whether to move the male into her enclosure.”
Dr Rajat Bhargava, an ornithologist with the Bombay Natural History Society, had taken a feather from the bird’s chest on April 16 and had sent to Secunderabad for DNA testing to determine its gender.
The unique friendship of the Sarus and Arif, a resident of Mandkha village in Amethi district, who had last year rescued the bird, has been making waves on social media.
The Sarus was found by Arif in August 2022, injured in his fields, lying unconscious with a bleeding leg. He initially thought the sarus was dead but took it home when he realised that it was still breathing. He cleaned the wound and applied a mix of turmeric and mustard on it. Then he devised a splint out of bamboo to keep the leg stable.
But the crane refused to fly away even after it was well enough to. Videos of Arif and the Sarus that went viral showed the bird following him everywhere. Even when Arif rode his bike, the bird flew above following him.
But the forest department acting otherwise took the Sarus to Samaspur Bird Sanctuary on March 21 from where it disappeared and was found again. The Sarus was finally sent to Kanpur zoo on March 29 and a case was lodged against Arif for violating sections 2, 9, 29, 51, 52 of the Wildlife Act, 1972.
Forest officials said Arif’s house was not the right place for a Sarus to live in and he should have informed the local forest officials on finding the bird.
Meanwhile, the bird not eating properly remains a worry for the zoo administration. Officials said the bird’s eating habit has changed drastically living in close quarters with humans. “We are working on this; hopefully the bird will start taking the raw diet normally.”
