Ostrich given as gift escapes, finds way back home in Diyarbakır

A year ago, Abdulvasi Ateş brought two baby ostriches from Samsun as a gift for his father, Fesih Ateş, who lives in Diyarbakır’s Yenişehir district, Güzelköy neighborhood. Ateş raised the birds until Feb 11, when he gave one of them—a female—to his relative, Fırat Özateş, who owns a gas station in Diyarbakır’s Sur district.

However, just one day later, the ostrich escaped from the station’s yard, jumping over a wire fence and running toward the Diyarbakır-Silvan highway before disappearing from sight. A search was launched to locate the runaway bird.

On Feb 15, the ostrich was spotted near Güzelköy neighborhood, where it had been raised. Local residents recognized the bird and returned it to Fesih Ateş.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Ateş said the ostrich had developed a strong attachment to him. “No matter where I went, it would follow me. It’s such an emotional animal,” he said.

He recounted how the ostrich had initially returned to his neighborhood but was scared off by dogs before a neighbor took it in for safekeeping.

“I was devastated when it went missing. I prayed for it to come back. When I finally saw it, I hugged it and kissed it,” he said. “The happiness I felt was like a parent finding a lost child. I’m an emotional person, and when I saw it, I just had to hug it.” (TY/VK)