Tourist mauled to death by huge bear after taking selfie with cub
A tourist was dragged into a ravine and killed by a bear after posing for a selfie with its cub.
Omar Farang Zin was mauled on the roadside before being dragged 260ft down a steep hill into a forest in Romania. Police and emergency services said that after an hour of searching for him, the 38-year-old's lifeless body was found.
Just one day before the tragic incident, the motorcyclist had posted a series of pictures on Facebook of a large bear which appeared to be standing extremely close to him. Omar had also shared a selfie posing with a bear cub.
A separate video taken by Omar showed him riding his motorcycle as he drove past a bear perched on the side of the road. "Here's the bear," he can be heard saying. "How beautiful. It's coming towards me." His body was found near Lake Vidraru, in the Carpathian Mountains.
Omar, who came from Samarate near Milan, Italy, was travelling on the Transfagarasan mountain road. He was seen allegedly trying to feed a bear in an area with signposts warning not to do so. Arge Mountain Rescue spokesperson Ion Snduloiu said: "He was attacked by a female bear and dragged close to the water.
"Those who know the place know that there is approximately 80 metres difference in gradient. The animal was so aggressive that it carried him to within 10 to 15 metres from the shore.
"Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived. The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't enough."
The mayor's office later stated that the bear had been shot dead by hunters. Romania is home to the largest brown bear population in the EU. Recent population studies estimated that their current numbers are between 10,400 and 12,800, which is significantly higher than previous counts.
It follows another incident which saw a hiker plummet to his death after a brown bear knocked him down a 2,600ft ravine in Greece this week. Veteran rambler Christos Stavrianidis was found at the bottom of the bottom of the ravine and rushed to Kavala hospital in Kavala, Central Macedonia, where he was pronounced dead.
He and another experienced hiker Dimitris Kioroglou, were heading in to the forest to see the 70-year-old remains of a downed Greek warplane on Monday. Speaking to NewsIT, Dimitris said: "I suddenly saw a bear which attacked me. My dog delayed it for a few seconds. I used pepper spray, and it headed to where my friend was and knocked him into the ravine."
He also told Greece's national broadcaster, TV ERT that Christos had run out of bear spray when he was approached by the "very big bear". "I've never seen such speed and such strength before," he added.
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