Turkish man strikes up 37-year friendship with swan

A swan and it’s reflection on lake in autumn

A man in Turkey has had a friendship with a swan for 37 years. Retired postman Recep Mirzan found Garip, a female swan, 37 years ago. Mirzan and a group of friends were taking a shortcut in their car when they noticed the swan, with a broken wing, in an empty field. Mirzan immediately took the swan in to protect her from predators and kept her in the car until that afternoon, when he was able to take the swan to his home. Since then, Garip has lived on the man’s farm. Garip follows Mirzan whenever she is out of her pen, accompanying him when he is doing his chores around the farm or for his evening walks. Mirzan named the swan “Garip,” which translates as “bizarre” but is also used to describe those who are down on their luck. Garip spends most of her time out of her pen and has never tried to run away from Mirzan’s farmstead. A widower with no children, the 63-year-old Mirzan says Garip has been loyal to him and chose to stay at his side.


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