20.10.2026 10:12
Gökhan Sarıkayalar, who owns a textile business in Zeytinburnu, started feeding a baby crow that came in front of his shop about 1.5 months ago. The crow, which he named 'Rıfkı,' waits for him at the door of his workplace every morning, plays inside, and has become the mascot of the shop.
Gökhan Sarıkayalar, who runs a textile business in the Beştelsiz Neighborhood of Zeytinburnu, fed a baby crow that came in front of his shop about 1.5 months ago. After that day, the crow began coming in front of the workplace every day. Sarıkayalar named the crow 'Rıfkı,' with whom he gradually formed a bond.
Rıfkı, who has become the mascot of the shop, eats its food, plays games, and spends certain hours of the day beside Sarıkayalar.
BECAME LIKE ONE OF THE FAMILY
Sarıkayalar, stating that he took Rıfkı in when it was a baby, said, "At first, it would not let anyone pet it, but it comes to me and lets me pet it. It plays games with me; it has gotten used to me. I feed it. Every morning I feed it by giving it a slice of kashar cheese. I give it the inside of an egg; it eats the egg yolk. Everyone tries to feed our Rıfkı as much as they can. When it first came, it was a baby; when we gave it food, it got used to us. It has become like one of the family; in the morning we watch for it to come. It played with me for half an hour. When I left, it flew after me."
WAITS AT THE DOOR EVERY MORNING
Sarıkayalar, noting that he gradually formed a bond with the crow he named Rıfkı, said, "Every morning it waits for me at the door. It opens the shop before I do. I come by car and see that it is waiting for me in front of the door. Then I take it inside and give it food. After eating a little, it drinks water and then continues eating. Rıfkı is a good friend of ours. Now I send Rıfkı away by force. When I have work and have to leave, I am forced to send it away too."
A CLOSE CALL WITH THE CAT
Sarıkayalar said, "It bites my ear, plays with my shoelaces, and runs away. It makes up games on its own. It clashes with cats. We do everything we can to keep it from being taken by the cat. It picked up a stone and threw it, and the cat attacked it. We took it out of the cat's clutches. We had a small close call. We love animals. I have kept a dog and kept pigeons. We want to feed Rıfkı, but I let it free because I would otherwise restrict its freedom."