Yahoo Finance Bear Appears Intoxicated After Suspected Consumption of Product Known as 'Mad Honey' in Turkey
After a brown bear in Turkey seemed to have gotten her paws on some "mad honey," the cub was in for a surprise.
The Guardian reported that the bear was rescued on Thursday after it was believed to have become intoxicated following consumption of an excessive amount of a product known in Turkish as "deli bal."
According to the outlet, the honey is made by beekeepers in the Kaçkar mountains near the Black Sea. There, a species of rhododendron flowers produce a neurotoxin called grayanotoxin, The Guardian shared.
The honey is then produced when bees pollinate the rhododendron flowers containing the neurotoxin, Insider reported per a press release from Texas A&M University.
dokuz8haber/Twitter Bear in Turkey
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The release explained that the honey produced is the most expensive in the world, costing $166 per pound, and when it is consumed it can cause "feelings of euphoria and even hallucinations" along with "light-headedness," according to anthropology professor Vaughn Bryant.
The Guardian reported that the honey can also be used for an assortment of medical conditions including hypertension and impotence.
According to the release from Texas A&M, consuming too much of the honey can cause vomiting, diarrhea, loss of consciousness, seizures and in rare cases, death.
🐻 Obur ayının sonu veteriner kliniği oldu
🍯 Düzce'nin Yığılca ilçesinde acı bal üretimi yapan arıcıların kovanlarındaki balı yiyen ayı bayıldı. Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü ekiplerince alınan ayı kamyonetin kasasına konulurken, sarhoş halleri gülümsetti. Ayının tedavisi sürüyor. pic.twitter.com/hoChzjdRMo— dokuz8haber (@dokuz8haber) August 10, 2022
Footage of the bear in the aftermath of the apparent consumption was shared to Twitter by dokuz8Haber, a Turkish media outlet. In the clip, the cub is seen sitting upright in an almost human-like position with its eyes wide open in the back of a truck.
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The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry shared its own footage of the bear on Twitter, confirming that she was "in good health" and being treated by their team — according to a translation of the text.
After proposing to give the bear a name they later tweeted that they are calling her "Balkız."
