This Farmer’s Bear Problem Was So Bad He Just Gave Up and Hired Them as Taste Testers
Beekeeping usually means long hours, careful tending, and the occasional sting. It rarely involves night patrols or uninvited guests with claws. Yet that became Ibrahim Sedef’s routine in Trabzon, Turkey. The agricultural engineer kept discovering his hives overturned, cages pulled apart, and honey scattered everywhere. They’d break into his hives, tear through protective cages, and leave a sticky mess behind. He tried everything from steel barriers to food bribes like fruit and fresh bread, but nothing could distract them for long. They always came back for the real prize.
After several failed attempts to protect his hives, Ibrahim had a realization. If he couldn’t keep the bears away, maybe he could put them to work. That’s when he decided to make them his new “employees,” unofficial honey taste testers. It sounds like a setup for a cartoon, but this story is entirely real and, surprisingly, backed by science.
Science Meets Sweet Tooth
@thatgoodnewsgirl A beekeeper could not keep these bears away from his honey, so he decided to hire them as taste testers… and the results revealed that the bears have some pretty expensive taste. 🍯 🐻 This story is number 3 in my countdown of the top stories of 2023! 🎉 Ibrahim Sedef is a beekeeper and agricultural engineer, and he tried everything to keep the bears away from his honey. But, after learning that they have a string preference for his most prized honey, he couldn’t help but forgive them. 🐻 Anzer honey is made from the nectar of 90 different flowers only found in the mountains of the Anzer plateau, and evidently, it’s bear-approved. 🍯 📸 DHA / Ibrahim Sedef #bearsoftiktok #beekeeping #bear #bears #honey #beekeepersoftiktok ♬ original sound – That Good News Girl
Ibrahim didn’t just throw some honey on the ground and call it a day. He turned the whole ordeal into an experiment using night-vision cameras to record what would happen. He set out a table of five honey varieties to see which kinds the bears liked most. Each night, they made a beeline for one particular type: Anzer honey.
This golden honey comes from the Ballıköy plateau on Turkey’s Black Sea coast and is famous for its rich taste and natural properties. It sells for around 1,000 Turkish liras, equivalent to approximately $171 per kilogram. No matter how Ibrahim rearranged the jars, the bears always picked Anzer first. They completely ignored the cheaper alternatives, such as cherry blossom jam or market-grade honey, confirming their sharp sense of smell and refined taste preferences.
The experiment Ibrahim helped him understand how they distinguished quality by scent alone. He discovered that these animals could detect high-quality honey without tasting every sample, showing remarkable sensory precision.
A Sweetened Partnership
Over time, Ibrahim began to see his unwanted guests in a different light. Watching the footage, he couldn’t help but smile at their determination and strangely polite tasting sessions. “When you watch the images, you forget the loss,” he told reporters. “I love them.” That statement turned his story from one of frustration into one of appreciation.
His bears became a sensation across Turkish media and beyond, with videos circulating online showing them carefully sampling the honey from his jars. People admired the humor and creativity in his approach. Instead of another story about property damage, it became one about coexistence and clever adaptation. His solution earned him praise for finding a balance between protecting his livelihood and respecting wildlife.
Turning Problems Into Honey-Coated Solutions
Image via iStockphoto/ronniechua
What began as a disaster became one of the most talked-about examples of turning a problem into an opportunity. The consistent preference for premium honey reinforced the quality of his product while bringing unexpected attention to his small operation.
The bears got their late-night samples, and he got valuable information about which honey varieties stood out. It’s a rare situation where everyone, human and animal alike, came out ahead. His story continues to circulate as a reminder that sometimes the best way to handle a challenge is to rethink it creatively.
Now, Ibrahim’s honey is not just bee-approved; it’s bear-tested. In a world full of clever marketing, nothing quite beats having nature itself vouch for the quality of your work. His bears have the final say, and by the looks of it, they’ve got excellent taste.