A farmer saved the life of a giant crane, and now man and bird are forever friends: 'I know 100% he will not leave me.'

• A giant crane bird in rural India will not leave the side of the farmer who saved his life last year.
• They eat off the same plate and travel together.

A crane in Uttar Pradesh, North India, will not leave the side of the man who saved his life last year, The Times reports.

Arif Gurjar, 30, found the sarus crane, which he aptly named Sarus, injured on his farm.

He nursed the giant bird back to health with home remedies such as a mixture of mustard oil and turmeric applied to the bird's wounds and wrapped with bandages.

"In that time, he walked very, very slowly. After a month, we removed the bandage and found that he could stand on his feet," Gurjar told The Times.

Although Gurjar expected the bird to fly away once it had healed, the pair instead became inseparable.

Sarus will now not leave Gurjar's side. He will eat off of his plate and will fly alongside him as Gurjar takes his scooter for a ride.

In his interview with The Times, Gurjar said, "On some days, he flies away but always returns by sunset.

Friendship thrives on freedom. He roams around freely, and we never constrain him," he added.

"I know 100% he will not leave me. If he does, I will feel pain. But I know he won't," he said.

According to WWF India, the Sarus crane can stand nearly six feet tall with a massive wingspan of up to eight feet. It is the tallest flying bird in the world.

Cranes are naturally sociable creatures, but friendships like Sarus' and Gurjap's are rare.

Cranes across India are threatened by the increase in agricultural land and the subsequent destruction of the natural habitat of wetlands and grassland.

As a result, sarus cranes have to forage for food in agricultural fields and can sometimes ingest pesticides, leading to poisonings.