Little girl spends day with animals, likened to Heidi

SİVAS

A 5-year-old girl in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas has been likened to a famous children’s fiction character Heidi, as she picks up bees with bare hands, rides a horse and milks animals, filling the hearts of those who see her with awe.

Hira Nur, who lives in the village of Sofular in the Hafik district, surprises people with her closeness to animals despite her young age and daily routine.

After her father, Fatih Yıldırım, a livestock farmer, started to keep a calf that was born prematurely at home so that it would not die, Hira Nur fell in love with the animal, which she named “Benekli” (Spotted), and became friends with it.

Spending most of the day with her calf, she also started to feed many animals such as chickens, bees, horses, dogs and cats during this time.

The little girl, who can also milk animals, is compared to the cartoon character Heidi with her lifestyle. Hira Nur, who rides a horse and approaches the bees without wearing a protective suit, draws attention with her courage.

“Animal love started with Benekli for me. I have cats, chickens, birds, bees, dog and horse. I’m not afraid of them at all,” the 5-year-old said.

“She loves animals and cares for them. She comes with her mother when she goes to milk the cow, and with me when I go to the barn,” her father said. “She got used to getting into the bees as she came with me all the time. She did not hesitate or get afraid, she encouraged herself.”

“Then she started to take care of the bees with me. We look after our bees without masks and gloves together,” he added.

Heidi is a work of children’s fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. It is a novel about the events in the life of a 5-year-old girl in her paternal grandfather’s care in the Swiss Alps.

Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written and is among the best-known works of Swiss literature.