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At an altitude of 3,300 meters on Bercelan Plateau in eastern Türkiye, 21-year-old Halime Calp is hand-raising two lambs rejected by their mothers, bottle-feeding them as they follow her throughout her family's daily nomadic life.
Calp's family travels seasonally with its livestock, a traditional nomadic practice in which herders move between different grazing areas, and spends the summer in Hakkari after setting out from the southeastern province of Batman.
Located about 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) from Hakkari city center, Bercelan Plateau draws livestock breeders with its cool weather, cold-water springs and productive pastures, where the Calp family stays in a tent while looking after its animals.
After two sheep gave birth but did not accept their offspring, Calp stepped in to care for the lambs, now around four and three weeks old, and began feeding them milk from a bottle.
The lambs stayed with Calp inside the tent during their first nights, and she said their bond grew stronger because she had taken over their feeding from the time they were born.
Recalling how closely they stay beside her, Calp said, "Wherever I go, they follow me," adding that the lambs trail behind her while she washes dishes, collects water and makes cheese.
Calp explained that bottle-feeding helps rejected lambs take in enough milk while preventing their mothers from growing weaker, allowing both the young animals and the sheep to be looked after more effectively.
Although she helps her family milk the animals and carry out other demanding tasks on the plateau, Calp also plans to prepare for university and take the KPSS, Türkiye's public personnel selection examination, after graduating from high school three years ago.
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