Nest friends forever: Wild crane found injured in a field now refuses to leave its human saviour

A wild crane found injured in a field in India has made a friend in its rescuer after the giant bird was nursed back to health.

Mohammad Arif found an injured Sarus crane in his field in Uttar Pradesh, India, a year ago. He took the bleeding bird home and tended to it with home remedies.

After his remarkable recovery at the hands of his kind rescuer, Mr. Arif expected the crane to return to the wild once healed, but instead the pair have become inseparable.

Mr. Arif posted several videos of his new winged friend on social media, showing him riding his motorcycle as the trusty crane, sporting a distinctive red head, glides after him.

“I thought once it starts flying again it will go back to its family,” Mr Arif told BBC News India.

He added: ‘It is a wild bird after all. I thought it wouldn’t stay with me.

“But that didn’t happen, it went to live with me.”

Mr. Arif was working on a farm when he found the injured bird bleeding profusely in a field and found its right leg broken.

Using home remedies, including a paste made of mustard oil and turmeric applied to the wound, the bird was back on its feet within six weeks, Mr Arif said.

The apparently grateful crane hasn’t left his side since and even eats straight from his plate with his rescuer.

Mr Arif suggests that birds’ loyalty stems from the fact that they are ‘free to roam’.

“We never tie him up or keep him in a cage. That’s why it hasn’t left us,” he said.

Mr Arif’s social media videos show his devotion in caring for the bird as he washes the giant crane with a garden hose, with a caption reading ‘mera dost’, which means ‘my friend’ in Hindi.

Mr Arif’s social media videos show his dedication in caring for the bird as he washes the giant crane with a garden hose, adding a caption that reads “mera dost”, meaning “my friend” in English. Hindi

Mr Arif posted several videos of his new winged friend on social media, showing him riding his motorcycle as the trusty crane, with a distinctive red head, glides after him

The Sarus Crane is the tallest flying bird in the world and can be found in the open wetlands of South Asia, including the Indian subcontinent.

The wild bird is known to form long-lasting clutch bonds that can cause them to starve in grief after the loss of their mate, and they are a symbol of marital fidelity in India.

On his motivation to take the bird home and nurse it back to health, Mr Arif said: ‘I just fulfilled my duty as a human being.

“Seeing it injured, I felt I had to help it.”