An Indian farmer who has become a social media star because of his special bond with an antigone, a species of crane, has pleaded with wildlife authorities to release his feathered friend after she was captured and taken to a zoo garden.

Mohammed Arif had found the antigone injured and after caring for her for six weeks, he released her back into her natural habitat. But, contrary to what one might expect, the big bird stayed close to his home in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, and followed his savior on his bike commutes.

“The bird stayed with its people during the day and returned at night. Sometimes in the afternoon, when he was hungry, he would come back and wait at our door,” Arif said. In fact, the bird was eating from his hand.

The antigone is the largest bird that can fly. It can reach a height of even 180 cm.

Videos of the bird next to its patron bear witness to their special relationship. Arif’s Instagram account reached 300,000 followers within days.

But at the end of March the authorities put an abrupt end to this love story: they captured the bird and placed it in quarantine, intending to release it later in a wild bird sanctuary.

The antigone is considered a vulnerable species and according to the World Wide Fund for Nature there are fewer than 20,000 birds left in India.

Today, the striking crane sits in a small cage at Kanpur Zoo, a four-hour drive from Arif’s home, who is pleading with the authorities to release his friend. Last week he managed to visit him and the bird did not hide his joy, fluttering and jumping inside his cage.

“The bird immediately recognized my voice. He turned to me, he looked at me, he was dying to meet me” and “he seemed desperate, maybe he expected me to break him out of his prison,” Arif said.

More than 3,000 people signed an online petition to free the bird.

“The crane did not commit any crime. Is it a crime to be friends with people? Why are they punishing him for no reason?’ stated in the text of the application.

Waiting, Arif confidently declares, “Once they release it, it will come back to me.”