Edirne, Turkey (AP)-- An unusual friendship between a Turkish man and swan he rescued has endured for decades.
Recep Mirzan, a retired postman, found a female swan, who he would name Garip, 37 years ago in the Edirne province.
He and a group of friends were taking a shortcut in their car when they noticed the swan with a broken wing. Mirzan immediately took the swan in to protect her from predators and later took it home.
Since then, Garip has lived on the man’s farm in the Karaagac region, bordering Greece.
Garip follows him whenever she is out of her pen, accompanying him when he is doing his chores around the farm or for his evening walks.
“Since I love animals, I said to myself that I should take her home instead of leaving her as prey to foxes. We got used to each other. We never separated,” Mirzan told the Associated Press.
Garip translates to bizarre; however, it also can be used to describe someone who is down on their luck. She has never tried to run away. Instead, she has become friends with the local dogs and cats.
Living with Mirzan has obviously been beneficial for Garip. Typically, a swan’s life span in the wild is twelve years, and in a protected environment they can live more than double.
Story via Associated Press