Heartwarming 37-Year Friendship Between A Man And The Swan He Rescued

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Feb 16, 2021 9:00 AM EST

An incredible friendship between a man from Turkey and the swan he rescued has lasted for decades. 37 years ago, a now retired postman, Recep Mirzan, found a female swan who he later named Garip in Turkey's western Edirne province, and they have been friends ever since.

As NEWS CHANNEL 3 reports, "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." Ever since then, Garip has been living on Mirzan's farm in the Karaagac region near Greece. Whenever Garip is out of her pen, she accompanies Mirzan during his chores and evening walks.

Read more about their heartwarming story and check out their even more heartwarming pictures below.

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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz

"Since I love animals, I said to myself that I should take her home instead of leaving her as prey to foxes," Mirzan explained, remembering the day he took Garip in. "We got used to each other. We never separated." He had named her Garip, a word which translates to "bizarre" but also means "those who are down on their luck."
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz

After Garip's broken wing healed, not only did she stay on the farm, she also befriended the cats and dogs on the property. She has never tried to escape Mirzan's property, and she spends most of her time out of her pen. Mirzan himself is a 63-year-old widower who has no children, so for him, this swan who has stayed loyal to him all this time is someone he considers his child.
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz

Living with Mirzan has been beneficial not only to him but also to the swan herself. "According to the U.K.-based Swan Sanctuary, the average lifespan for a swan in the wild is 12 years." In protected environments, it says that swans can live up to 30 years, and considering this swan was rescued a whole 37 years ago, we can safely assume that she is living an amazing, happy life and that she is loved by all those around her.
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz

We wish the two of them many, many more happy years together, filled with nothing but joy and love. For more wholesome animal friendships, read about a fox who lost his brother befriending his rescuer and her two dogs right here.
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz
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via AP Photo/Ergin Yildiz

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