EDIRNE, Turkey (AP) – An unusual friendship between a Turkish man and a swan he rescued has lasted for decades.
Retired postman Recep Mirzan found Garip, a female swan, 37 years ago in western Edirne province in Turkey.
Mirzan and a group of friends were taking a shortcut in their car when they spotted the swan with a broken wing in an empty field. Mirzan immediately ingested the swan to protect her from predators and kept her in the car until the afternoon when he was able to take the swan to his home.
Since then, Garip has lived on the man’s farm in the Karaagac region, which borders Greece.
Garip follows Mirzan when she’s out of her pen and accompanies him when he’s doing his chores on the farm or for his evening walks.
“Since I love animals, I told myself I should take her home instead of leaving her as prey for foxes,” Mirzan told The Associated Press, recounting the day he took Garip. has. “We got used to each other. We never divorced. ”
Mirzan calls the swan ‘Garip’, which is translated as ‘bizarre’, but is also used to describe those who suffer from their happiness.
After Garip’s broken wing healed, the swan stayed with Mirzan and also became friends with the cats and dogs in the area.
Garip spends most of her time out of her pen and has never tried to run away from Mirzan’s farmstead.
Mirzan, 63, a childless widower, says Garip was loyal to him and chose to stay by his side. Mirzan considers the swan his child.
Living with Mirzan was, of course, beneficial for Garip. According to the Swan Sanctuary in the United Kingdom, the average lifespan of a swan in the wild is 12 years. It says they can live in protected environments for up to 30 years.
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Badendieck reported from Istanbul.