Kusti the crane returns home to Pärnu County rescue shelter that saved him

Two years ago, Anu Paluoja, who lives in Pärnu County, began taking care of Kusti the crane, after he had been found abandoned and in critical condition. While few gave Kusti a chance at first, thanks to Paluoja's help, he learned how to walk and fly, and when the time was right, was able to return to the wild.
Two years ago, Anu Paluoja, who lives in Pärnu County, began taking care of Kusti the crane, after he had been found abandoned and in critical condition. While few gave Kusti a chance at first, thanks to Paluoja's help, he learned how to walk and fly, and when the time was right, was able to return to the wild.
Over the years, hundreds of animals have received temporary carer and treatment at Ana Paluoja's rescue shelter in Kilksama, Pärnu County. However, there's no doubt about it, Kusti the crane is the one who has truly captured her heart. At the start of summer two years ago, Paluoja received a call that a young crane had been found in critical condition. When she go to Kusti, he was unconscious and he certainly couldn't move or eat.
"He was completely gone. He couldn't get his legs underneath himself and I thought there wouldn't be a long party. It's very common for cranes to throw weak chicks out of the nest and seal their fate," Paluoja said on ETV show "Ringvaade."
In order for Kusti to recover, Paluoja had to place pieces of food between his beak and make sure he swallowed them. "He was so out of it that we had no choice," Paluoja said.
She also had to teach him how to walk and fly.
"I held him up and we just went about it, step by step, quietly. It's basically the same as with children – at first you support them, but at some point you let go and they walk by themselves," she said.
With Kusti soon becoming so comfortable in the shelter, Paluoja was concerned that he may never want to return to the wild. However, once he was ready, Kusti bade farewell and departed from the rescue center.
Paluoja admitted that it was said to see Kusti depart. "You fuss over him all summer long, you go to all that trouble, you groom him, and then one day he's just gone. The place felt very empty," she said.
Time went by and Paluoja continued her work at the shelter, safe in the knowledge that Kusti had gone on to a better life, though she often wondered what had become of him.
Imagine her surprise then, when last spring, Kusti made an emotional return.
"The tears were flowing. It was the happiness that all was well with him and he has found his way back – so this is his home," Paluoja smiled.
In fact, as it turned out, Kusti did not return to the shelter alone – he'd also brought his partner with him. "They've chosen a nesting place just across the field. He's close by all the time and that's really good to know," said Paluoja.
As soon as he got home, Kusti also went straight to see his rescuer. "He had a habit of dropping down at my feet and I thought maybe he had lost his mind. But in fact all the old rituals were just the same," Paluoja recalled.
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Editor: Karmen Rebane, Michael Cole
Source: "Ringvaade"