Is it a bird, a plane? No, it's Putin, human crane

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has tracked a Siberian tiger and posed with a polar bear, may soon be taking his love of wildlife to new heights by flying with cranes - to lead them on a migration route.

Putin has communed with wild animals several times as part of an effort to create the image of a clean-living, nature-loving leader in 12 years in power.

This time around, according to Russian media reports, he will don a white costume and pilot a hang glider, leading cranes through the air in a project to help introduce birds born in captivity to the wild.

Some reports said he would wear a beak as part of the costume whose purpose is to prompt cranes to follow his flight on a migration route, part of a project aimed at protecting the endangered Siberian Crane.

'The role of the pilot is the leader of the flock. He shows the route of the flight,' the daily Vedomosti website quoted scientist Yuri Markin as saying.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov could not be reached by Reuters on Wednesday but he was quoted by Interfax as saying Putin intended to take part in the 'Flight of Hope' project in the Yamal peninsula in the coming days, but he gave no details.

The reports have spawned an array of amused comment on the Internet, with one cartoon referring to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cables in which Putin was deemed Russia's 'alpha-dog'.

The cartoon portrayed the Putin in a black suit with grey wings fixed to his hands, telling three birds: 'Let's assign the roles right away - I am the alpha-crane!'

Other postings included two Russian paintings of failed human attempts to fly like a bird - one of a boy lying on the ground with wings at his side and another of a man dropping to earth despite the wings attached to his arms.

Macho stunts by Putin, who turns 60 in October, have helped his image but have also irritated some Russians and become a target for satire for opponents.

(Editing by Steve Gutterman and Michael Roddy)



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