People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India on Wednesday sent a request to the principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife, Uttar Pradesh, Mamta Sanjeev Dubey, requesting her to rehabilitate and immediately release the Sarus crane from Kanpur zoo back to the bird’s natural habitat.
PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Saloni Sakaria in an appeal stated, A zoo, where even animals, who have known no other life, become neurotic and depressed from their imprisonment, is simply no place for a wild bird too.
There is a law and a procedure and then there is humanity, Sakaria said. While we agree with the Uttar Pradesh government that the correct procedure would have been to contact the forest officials about the hurt bird. In this case, farmer Mohammad Arif did what he thought was the best nurture the injured bird back to life. It is this good deed that the crane is unable to forget, Sakaria said.
The letter further stated, Arif has insisted the crane, upon recovery, would come and go as per its will and that it would fly into the jungle and then fly back. Surely, we cannot punish the bird for falling in love? And certainly, an exception might be made for Arif who clearly loves the bird, too.
Sakaria pleaded, The crane had been healthy and perfectly well in Arif’s locality for at least a year. There is no reason to believe the bird is in any real danger. We urge you to release the bird back to Arif’s area and simply work with him on how to help the crane thrive better in nature.
