EDIRNE, Turkey (AP) – An unusual friendship between a Turkish man and a swan he rescued has spanned decades.
Retired postman Recep Mirzan found Garip, a female swan, 37 years ago in the western province of Edirne, Turkey.
Mirzan and a group of friends were taking a shortcut in their car when they saw the swan with a broken wing in an empty field. Mirzan immediately took the swan into the home to protect it from predators and kept her in the car until that afternoon, when he was able to bring the swan home.
Since then, Garip has lived on the man’s farm in the Karaagac region, bordering Greece.
Garip follows Mirzan when she is out of a cage, and accompanies him when he does his chores on the farm or for his evening walks.
“Because I love animals, I told myself to take her home instead of leaving her as prey for foxes,” Mirzan told The Associated Press, telling of the day he took Garip into his home. “We got used to each other. We never broke up.”
Mirzan called the swan “Garip,” which translates as “bizarre,” but is also used to describe those who are struggling.
After Garip’s broken wing was healed, the swan stayed with Mirzan and also befriended the area’s cats and dogs.
Garip spends most of her time outside of her cage and has never attempted to run away from Mirzan’s farm.
63-year-old Mirzan, a widower with no children, says that Garip has remained loyal to him and has chosen to stay by his side. Mirzan regards the swan as his child.
Life with Mirzan has clearly been beneficial to Garip. According to the UK-based Swan Sanctuary, the average lifespan of a swan in the wild is 12 years. It says they can live for up to 30 years in protected environments.
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Badendieck reported from Istanbul.