Hungry Bear in Turkey Enjoys “Mad Honey”

A strange thing recently happened at one honey farm in Turkey. A hungry bear broke in, got his belly filled with honey, and got high.

As it turned out, the honey in question belonged to the “deli bal” variety, which is often called “mad honey.” The bees that produce this honey source the nectar from Rhododendron plants ponticum, and luteum. These flowers contain grayanotoxin, which is known to have hallucinogenic properties.

A video posted on Twitter by T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı shows the aftermath of the bear’s indulgence in mad honey with the animal seemingly unaware of his surroundings and unable to walk properly. Fortunately, he was quickly transferred to a veterinarian in a back of a truck for treatment.

After the news and the video became viral, Turkey’s minister of agriculture and forestry Vahit Kirisci shared an update in which he revealed that the bear got taken care of and was now in good health. After treatment, the bear, which got nicknamed Balkiz aka “Honey Girl,” was released back into the wild.

“Godspeed to the beautiful girl who has won the hearts of us all,” Kirisci wrote on Twitter while sharing a video of the release. “May she eat everything in moderation, even honey.”