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Breanna Robinson
Aug 12, 2022
This Bear Ate the Wrong Honey and Became Intoxicated
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Video footage showed a bear cub in Turkey that appeared to be intoxicated after reportedly eating copious amounts of a substance dubbed "mad honey," which has psychoactive elements.
On Wednesday (10 August), the Turkish media outlet dokuz8haber posted a clip of the animal on Twitter.
The brown bear can be seen perched up in the back of a pickup truck, appearing to be uncomfortable.
The outlet noted that the bear consumed the honey or "deli bal" which is what it is known as in Turkish, from beehives in the Yığılca district of Düzce.
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As noted by, dokuz8haber, Turkish forestry personnel did pick up the bear and put it in the back of the truck where the video was recorded.
The bear seemed aloof and in a drunken stupor-like state within the video. It also seemed like it had some complications with breathing.
\u201c\ud83d\udc3b Obur ay\u0131n\u0131n sonu veteriner klini\u011fi oldu\n\n\ud83c\udf6f D\u00fczce'nin Y\u0131\u011f\u0131lca il\u00e7esinde ac\u0131 bal \u00fcretimi yapan ar\u0131c\u0131lar\u0131n kovanlar\u0131ndaki bal\u0131 yiyen ay\u0131 bay\u0131ld\u0131. Orman \u0130\u015fletme M\u00fcd\u00fcrl\u00fc\u011f\u00fc ekiplerince al\u0131nan ay\u0131 kamyonetin kasas\u0131na konulurken, sarho\u015f halleri g\u00fcl\u00fcmsetti. Ay\u0131n\u0131n tedavisi s\u00fcr\u00fcyor.\u201d— dokuz8haber (@dokuz8haber) 1660169070
The bear subsequently passed out and was taken for treatment.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the cub, named "Balkız," is now in "good health" and is set to be released back into the wild soon.
\u201cD\u00fczce\u2019de bitkin halde bulunan yavru boz ay\u0131m\u0131z\u0131n sa\u011fl\u0131k durumu iyi, ekiplerimiz tedavisine devam ediyor. @milliparklar \n\nBal\u0131n dozunu ka\u00e7\u0131ran sevimli \u201ck\u0131z\u0131m\u0131za\u201d bir isim verelim, ad\u0131yla ya\u015fas\u0131n\ud83d\ude0a \ud83d\udcac\u201d— T.C. Tar\u0131m ve Orman Bakanl\u0131\u011f\u0131 (@T.C. Tar\u0131m ve Orman Bakanl\u0131\u011f\u0131) 1660209681
Mad honey is described as having a bitter, sharp taste and can irritate the throat, which is very different from the standard honey many of us put in tea.
This is because it contains neurotoxins known as grayanotoxins that can cause poisoning and intoxication once ingested.
These grayanotoxins are usually found in rhododendron plants, which bees visit in some parts of the world. So, the honey the bees produce after visiting these plants will also contain those neurotoxins.
Although the consumption of mad honey can cause irregular heartbeats, which can be dangerous, and other health ailments, deaths resulting from consuming the substance aren't that common.
Typically, people recover well after intoxication, but in some cases, they may need hospital treatment.
Without treatment, the mad honey poisoning could last for a day.
Still, patients may need more days to recover fully.
Mad honey, the most expensive worldwide, has anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and antimicrobial properties.
It has long been used as an aphrodisiac, a folk remedy for treating gastrointestinal disorders, and much more.
Mad honey's origins, which go back centuries, can be traced back to Turkey's Black Sea region (where it's most commonly found) or Nepal.
It is still eaten in parts of the world today, including Nepal, China, Germany and Brazil.
Indy100 reached out to the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for comment.
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