Kanpur: The Kanpur Zoological Park has reportedly postponed the plan to set free the crane to its natural habitat for the time being.
The stork still searches for human company. The crane habituated to having cooked food was earlier taking noodles, khichadi, rice and daal. But over some time, the stork has begun taking raw food.
The Zoo director KK Singh said, "It appears that the bird still searches for the company of human beings. It runs towards humans whenever it sees them. That's why we have deferred the plan of releasing the bird to its natural habitat. Suppose the saras is released in the natural habitat then it will be vulnerable to attack by dogs or other domesticated animals."
Arif had found the injured bird in his agricultural field in February. He dedicated three months to nursing the bird's injured leg, and a bond formed between them.
However, the harmony between Arif and the bird took a different turn when the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department stepped in.
On March 21, Chief Wildlife Warden Sunil Chaudhary issued an order for officials to separate the bird from Arif, accusing him of disobeying the law.
