When Arif Gurjar found a stricken sarus crane lying cold and bleeding in the fields of his farm in the village of Mandka, Uttar Pradesh, he made headlines around the world by nursing the bird back to health.
The 5ft-tall bird refused to fly away from his rescuer, despite his attempts to return it to the wild. Gurjar told The Times last month the crane soon began following him nearly everywhere, even flying alongside as he drove on his scooter.
The sarus crane — the world’s tallest flying bird, with an 8ft wingspan — is known in some parts of India to be unafraid of humans but this kind of friendship was rare. While the story touched the hearts of many readers, wildlife officials in
