India, Aug. 17 -- Last Raksha Bandhan, Manisha Bhil tied a 'rakhi' on her 'kid brother', Sonu, who promptly nibbled at the ribbon and cut it off. There was a bond of love between this 12-year-old schoolgirl and her adopted sibling, an Indian hare she had rescued as a tiny, orphaned waif from her family's 'bajra' fields more than a year ago. Instead of 'rakhi' symbolising the protection that a brother pledges to his sisters, it was the other way around for Manisha and Sonu. But the bonds were fraying after 18 months: Sonu's act of clipping the rakhi with his sharp teeth foreshadowed a heartbreak.

On Monday last, the Rajasthan forest department picked up Sonu from Manisha's home in village Lathi (Jaisalmer). Her father, Ghewar Ram, had req...