Most people who keep animals choose to have dogs, cats, fishes or small birds. But Recep Mirzan keeps different animal on his farm in Western Turkey.
The 63-year-old retired postal worker has a swan, a large and long-lived bird (find) in many parts of the world.
Mirzan rescued the swan from a (danger) situation many years ago. Mirzan and a group of friends (drive) in their car when they saw an injured swan with a broken wing. Mirzan (immediate) took the swan with him to protect her from (enemy) . He kept her in the car until that afternoon he was able to take the swan to his home.
He named the swan Garip. It (mean) "strange" in the Turkish language but is also used to describe a person who has had difficulties in their life. After Garip's broken wing improved, she remained with Mirzan. Mirzan is not married and has no children, so the swan is like a child to him. When Garip is out of her pen, an area is used to keep her protected, she follows Mirzan wherever he goes.
According to the group Swan Sanctuary, in Britain, swans live in the wild for only about 12 years. But in protected environments, they can live up 30 years.
