Mohammed Arif found the crane in his field last year
Rare Sarus Crane who was saved by a farmer from Uttar Pradesh has been taken away by the forest department on Tuesday, according to BBC. Thirty-year-old Mohammed Arif found the crane in his field last year and nursed it back to health. The man wanted the bird to fly back to the wild, but it never did.
Several videos of their unique friendship soon made it to the internet and went viral.
After the forest officials confiscated the bird, reports say that it flew away from its new home but sanctuary officials have denied these allegations.
Officials told BBC Hindi that the crane remained within the boundaries of the Samaspur bird sanctuary where it was taken. "It's not been confined to a room, but has been released in the sanctuary. It's finding food on its own, but we are also giving it wheat, bread and water," forest official Rupesh Srivastava told BBC Hindi.
Farmer Mohammad Arif told the media portal that the officials arrived at his home on Tuesday afternoon, and told him the bird could no longer stay with him. They had received orders from the wildlife department to confiscate it, he said.
"I don't know about wildlife laws. I'm a farmer. But if I had caged it, tied it up and hadn't allowed it to go anywhere, then I could understand the forest department would want to take it away," he said.
"But you saw that it flew around and came and went as it pleased. Did you ever see that I was constricting its movements?"
The farmer followed the vehicle carrying the crane to the sanctuary.
"But then they chased me away. I don't know what condition they have kept it in. They must have locked it up, otherwise, it would have come back to me," he said, adding: "I want it to be set free. I know it will return to me."