Haphazardly developed hydroelectric power stations, diverted streams and destroyed forests are ravaging the ecological balance in Turkey. The latest natural disaster was in Hopa in the Artvin province in the Black Sea region, where eight people were killed by torrential rains, floods and landslides.

Ecological destruction threatens not only people, but also wild animals living in forests. Animals facing scarce nourishment in their disfigured environments will head to populated areas.

An October news report from Kastamonu caught everyone off guard. It was about a starving bear digging up the grave of a man who had been buried 52 days before in Agli. Residents who found the remnants of the corpse 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) from the grave reburied it. Two months later, people visiting a cemetery in Imranli village saw an opened grave with no corpse in it. With the help of police, the bones of a 66-year old man who had died two months before were found about 100 meters (328 feet) away.

Investigations revealed that these shallow graves were opened by a grizzly bear enticed by the smell of fresh corpses buried close to the surface. People were warned to dig graves deeper. Bears unable to find food in the forest were going after humans. Municipal officials called on the state to take measures to feed the bears in their natural environment.