An orphan cub drinks milk from a bottle after being discovered exploring by himself without his mother

An orphaned bear cub was discovered wandering alone in the forest without its mother by a Turkish rescue centre in the province of Hakkari, close to the Turkish border with Iraq. Following his rescue, the newborn bear, popularly known as “Hakvan,” was shown on CCTV downing milk from a bottle. The cub, removed from its mother in Hakkari, was painstakingly nursed back to health.

Hakvan was fed every three hours and kept under close observation when the rescue personnel transported the bear cub to Van for treatment. The hospital’s director, Professor Lokman Aslan, claimed that although bears are few in east Turkey, the institute treats dozens of injured animals yearly. However, other bears have been seen nearby, and the facility has already attended to two wounded adult bears.

Hakvan was returned to the location of his mother’s disappearance, according to Aslan, but the cub was unable to find her. He was thus taken in by the rescue facility, which gave him the ideal home representative of his native surroundings. Havana is a mix of the location name where the young bear was discovered, Hakkari, and the Turkish word for the animal, “hayvan.”

Bears are gregarious animals that establish hierarchies and have defined familial links; thus, rehabilitating bears can be tricky if they have been separated from other bears for an extended period. They can discriminate between aggressive and non-aggressive human behaviour, and cubs play together and pick up manners through interacting with their mother or other bears in the area.

Aslan informed reporters that they would use a specific rehabilitation technique for the cub, but he will be a long-term visitor at the facility. It is unknown when the rescue centre will attempt to return Hakvan to the wild.