Rescued bear makes itself at home in Kurdish town

CHOMAN, Kurdistan Region — Of the six Asiatic brown bears who were set free earlier this month in the wilds of Halgurd National Park, a wildlife sanctuary north of the Kurdistan Region, one has shown up in the town of Choman.

The bear, whose release secured by the Kurdish-American Organisation, has scared residents of the town as it wanders into people’s homes. 

The bear, that was raised by humans, spends the days in the park and heads back to the populated areas at night. 

“We were afraid they would harm people, therefore we informed the Erbil Zoo to take it. But it became clear later that the bear was raised as a pet and does not harm anyone,” Ahmed Qadir, Choman mayor, told Rudaw.

He added that the other five bears are living in the sanctuary around Kodo mountain.

All six bears had been partly trained for survival in the wild by the Kurdish-American Organisation before being released.