An adorable bear cub was found lost in the wilderness without his mother by a Turkish rescue centre in Hakkari, a nearby province on the Turkish border with Iraq.
The baby bear, called ‘Hakvan’, is pictured guzzling from a milk bottle after his rescue. Photos show him being nursed back to health after his solo adventure.
Feeding time: Baby bear ‘Hakvan’ is pictured feeding from a milk bottle by an officer at a rehabilition center in Van, Turkey on April 20
Pausing for breath: The baby bear, separated from its mother in Hakkari and brought to Van for treatment, is fed every three hours and is constantly kept under the supervision of veterinarians
The bear continues to drink the milk. They found the cub in Hakkari, a nearby province on the Turkish border with Iraq. Bear sightings are rare in that part of the world
Professor Lokman Aslan, the director of the center, told reporters the centre treats dozens of injured animals brought in every year but it is unusual for them to spot bears
More bears have been spotted close to the area in recent times however. Aslan said they most recently treated two adult bears who were injured
Hakvan the baby bear: The name Hakvan is a combination of Hakkari and ‘hayvan,’ combining the Turkish word for animal with the name of the place the baby bear was found
They rescues workers wanted to get Hakvan away from the wilderness as it was unclear he would be able to survive on his own without his mother
‘(Hakvan) is fine now. He was fed and released back to the spot where he lost his mother but he could not locate her,’ said Aslan. ‘So, we took him here. He has the perfect habitat here similar to his natural habitat’
‘We will apply a special rehabilitation process for him but he will be a longtime guest here,’ Aslan said. It is not clear at what point the rescue centre will attempt to reintroduce Harkvan back into the wild
Authorities sometimes have difficulty rehabilitating animals into the wild after they have spent too much time in human company. Bears are very social, and while they do not live in extended family groups or join in hunts, they can co-exist in very close proximity to each other
Rehabilitating bears can be especially challenging if they have spent a significant time away from other bears. Bears are social creatures, forming hierarchies and have structured kinship relationships. Bears are able to routinely distinguish between threatening and non-threatening human behaviour
Cubs, as well as older bears, engage in social play and have ritualistic mechanisms to meet strangers and decide if they are friendly or not, but such behaviours are learned through interaction with the mother bear or other bears around them