Phobjikha’s vast wetland is empty. Its famous winter resident—black-necked cranes have left for Tibet. But not all. Karma, found injured when still very much a juvenile can never fly back to its summer home.

Karma wears a red crown patch, a sign that it is now an adult. It has been living in BNC centre’s five-by-three metres enclosure since 2016. It cannot even be let out when the cranes visit in winter.

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