Saras cranes are the world’s tallest flying birds. This large being flying alongside a man on a motorcycle is what gave the viral video of Mohammed Arif Khan and his crane-companion some of its otherworldy air. The sense of togetherness and affection in the video might be one of the most moving things I have seen in a long time. Which is why I ended up signing a petition circulating online asking for the crane to be freed.

The crane was rescued by officials of the Wildlife department when they saw the video. Strange word, rescue, when it is used to describe the capture of a being from a space of care to restrict in a place of captivity. When the crane itself has chosen to live alongside a man, how does what is good for the crane get decided by someone else? Well, this is a question that always seems to come up in so many instances of consensual love where authorities intervene for the alleged good of lovers.