A Turkish bear got intoxicated by honey from a hallucinogenic flower [VIDEO]

sarahjay1 (69)memberin Popular STEM • 2 years ago (edited)

(Screenshot / Twitter @TCTarim)

Before you leave, it was not because of cruel humans. It was a flower, but we’ll get that later.

Turkish veterinarians helped a female bear who got poisoned by honey.

The young bear ate hallucinogenic rhododendron honey stolen from an apiary, as a result she lost her bearings and fell into euphoria.

The she-bear was taken to a rehabilitation center, where she soon regained consciousness and was released into the wild the next day

NOT HONEY IS AS SWEET AS IT SEEMS
Honey is considered a useful product, but some of its types can be hazardous to health.

Honey becomes unpleasant in taste and even poisonous if bees use nectar and pollen of rhododendrons (Rhododendron), which contain the neurotoxin andromedotoxin.

Just a few spoons of this honey can cause dizziness, disorientation, nausea, euphoria, hallucinations and loss of consciousness.

However, these symptoms usually disappear by the next day.

Despite this, in some regions of Turkey and the foothills of the Himalayas, beekeepers have long produced rhododendron honey.

The honey is highly valued in folk medicine as a remedy for hypertension, impotence and a number of other diseases (note: there is no scientific evidence of this).

The earliest reports of rhododendron honey poisoning are found in the writings of ancient authors.

The ancient Greek commander Xenophon described how his soldiers, who were on the territory of modern Turkey, decided to feast on honey stolen from the hives.

As a result, they became ill: they lost their bearings, could not stand on their feet and faced vomiting and diarrhea. However, the next day the soldiers recovered.

Later, Roman and American troops found themselves in similar situations.

And today, dozens of people poisoned by poisonous honey end up in Turkish hospitals every year.

A POOR BEAR
Rhododendron honey can be dangerous not only for humans, but also for animals.

A young brown bear (Ursus arctos) from the Düzce silt in northwestern Turkey personally experienced it.

On August 11, local residents found her unconscious in the forest.

After the bear was examined by veterinarians, it turned out that she was poisoned by rhododendron honey stolen from apiaries.

The trippy animal was experiencing disorientation and euphoria, and may also be suffering from hallucinations.

YouTube / The Guardian

This is clearly seen in the following video recorded when the animal was put into the back of a pickup truck for transportation to a rehabilitation center.

Like your friend from teenage years, the poor bear sits on it, spreading her front paws and opening her mouth, and her pupils dilated.

With the exception of intoxication, the bear, who received the name Balkyz (“honey girl” in Turkish), was healthy.

Soon after she was taken to a rehabilitation center, she completely got rid of the symptoms of poisoning, and the very next day she was released into the wild.

One can only imagine that hangover.

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