Strange bird charms villagers in Jaipur

A village near Jaipur is playing host to an Emu, the second biggest bird species in terms of height that belongs to Australia, as mystery persists on where it came from. Residents of Saperon Ki Dhaani (snake charmers’ village) are going out of their way to protect the winged bird, while also questioning why the government is not stepping in to rescue the bird and maintain it in a place with better facilities.

Amarnath Saphera (40), a snake charmer belonging to the village, saw stray dogs chasing the bird at the national highways outside the village. “I kept this ostrich-like bird at an open pen in the village. We contacted the administration, but no one from the forest department is taking charge of the bird,” Saphera told DH.

Villagers feed the bird with bananas and chapathis and find it responding to their attention. “We keep vigil to protect the bird from the dogs,” said Henna, a seven-year-old girl from the village, adding the bird eats all kinds of snacks and fruits. An elderly woman feels that the bird’s presence is divine coincidence, as she pets the six-foot flightless bird.