Rejep is 63 years old. He appears to be an ordinary man, but he has an unusual story to tell, because for 37 years he has had an unusual friendship with the swan he rescued.
It all happened in the province of Edirne, where the man was traveling with his friends. He found the wounded bird and left it overnight in his car to keep it safe from predators. The man took the swan to his farm and nursed it himself.
Rejep’s care yielded results. The bird recovered and began to spend all her time near her rescuer. It followed the man, walking with him along the village paths in the evenings. It was obvious that it would no longer be possible to return the swan to the wild.
Then the swan was named Garip, which means strange. Indeed, Garrip’s behavior cannot be called ordinary. As a rule, swans avoid interaction with people, but this bird was a big exception.
Surprisingly, the swan found common ground with the other animals on the farm as well. She became friends with Rejep’s dogs and cats and became a full member of his small family. In the wild Garip would hardly have lived more than 12 years, but this year she turned 37.
