Loyalty may be a trait most associated with dogs among animals, but Yaren proved she was not beneath them when it comes to striking up friendships with humans. The stork, who enjoys a somewhat celebrity status in Turkey, with a documentary telling her story released two years ago, returned to the northwestern village this year again where she met local fisherman Adem Yılmaz 11 years ago.
Yılmaz first met the stork when the latter landed on his boat as he was out fishing on Uluabat Lake in Eskikaraağaç, a village that is among the popular routes where migrating storks visit, in the province of Bursa. A simple act of kindness for his part, that was, giving fish to the apparently hungry bird, turned into a friendship that has lasted for more than a decade. Their days together are numbered as the migratory bird has to leave for a warmer climate after spending the spring and summer there, but the 69-year-old man cherishes the stay anyway.
On a recent outing, Yaren (which means "close friend" in Turkish – a name attributed by Yılmaz) looked enthusiastic to go fishing with Yılmaz again as she watched him cast his nets into the lake. "I was very excited and happy to see her again," Yılmaz told reporters on Monday. "We will travel across the lake with Yaren for six months. It was a reunion I looked forward to. I was not sure if she would come this year, thank God, she came back," he said. "I hope our friendship will last. I love her very much. She is a friend of mine," he said.
Ali Özkan, mayor of Karacabey district where the village is located, was among the visitors of the stork and Yılmaz. The municipality appreciates the publicity for the small village and wants to promote it more. Özkan said they installed a video camera next to stork's nest in the village and will soon broadcast a livestream from the spot. Yaren is a revered figure for the village where a statue of her, and the fisherman was erected at the village's central square. Elsewhere, murals and large photos of Yaren adorn the walls of houses in Eskikaraağaç.
Alper Tüydeş, a local photographer who was also behind the production of the documentary on Yaren and Yılmaz's friendship, made the duo famous 11 years ago when he captured their iconic photos on the two sides of Yılmaz's small boat. Since then, he tracks this unusual friendship. "She first arrived in her nest on Sunday. Nobody was certain if it was Yaren, but uncle Adem knew it was her when she landed on his boat again," he said.
