NEW DELHI: An Indian farmer whose extraordinary bond with a large bird made him a social media star has asked for his feathered friend to be set free after it was captured by wildlife authorities.

Mohammad Arif rescued the injured Sarus — a crimson-necked wetlands crane that can grow up to 1.8 metres in height — and nursed it back to health.

He set it free six weeks later, but the crane remained near his home in the city of Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, trailing the farmer when he went for bike rides and eating out of his hands.

“The bird would stay with its family during the day and return in the evenings. Or in the afternoons when it was hungry it would come and wait at our door,” Arif, 30, said on Thursday.

Videos of the bird and its human guardian went viral on social media and Arif amassed nearly 300,000 Instagram followers by documenting their exploits.

Their remarkable friendship was rudely interrupted last month when authorities captured the crane and later brought it to a zoo in Kanpur, a city more than four hours’ drive away.

The crane is currently in a small quarantine cage, but Arif has asked for the bird — which he refers to simply as “friend” — to be released.

Arif went to visit the crane on Tuesday and a video of their emotional reunion was shared online, with footage showing the bird flapping its wings excitedly and jumping up and down.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2023