Latest news with #ArgesCounty
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Tourist who attempted to feed brown bear is mauled to death
An Italian tourist was mauled to death by a brown bear in Romania a day after making a post on Facebook that showed close encounters with bears, including a selfie with a cub. Omar Farang Zin, 49, was touring on his motorcycle in the Carpathian Mountains on the famous Transfagarasan Highway on Thursday when he stopped next to a sign that warned tourists not to feed the bears, according to Observator News, Romania's leading news agency, and the BBC. 'He got off his motorcycle and offered the bear food,' Armand Chiriloiu, the director of the Arges Forestry Directorate, told Observator News. The bear attacked Zin and dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation drop of 262 feet, the BBC reported. Tourists alerted the police and emergency services. 'Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived,' Ion Sanduloiu, head of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service, told the BBC. 'The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't enough.' The police, emergency services and forestry officials who responded to the scene found themselves in danger of the same bear. 'The bear followed us the whole time,' Dragos Onea of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service told Observator News. 'She was very agitated. She attacked us a few times too. We also had [hunters] from Silvic. They were pointing their rifles at her the whole time.' The hunters ultimately killed the aggressive bear, and police patrolled the area to chase tourists away. The day before the attack, Zin posted a photo album of the bear encounters on his Facebook page. Romania is home to the largest brown bear population in the European Union with the country's environmental ministry estimating it to be upwards of 12,800 bears, according to the BBC. Tourists from all over Europe travel to this area specifically to see bears in the wild. The environment ministry said that nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the last 20 years, the Daily Mail reported. Last July, a 19-year-old girl was killed in a violent bear attack in the Bucegi mountains in central Romania. A few months before that, a 72-year-old tourist from Scotland was mauled by a bear in Arges county after rolling down her car window to take a photo of the animal, according to The Independent. 'A very large population has finally lost its fear of humans,' Ovidiu Ionescu, a forestry expert, told Observator News. 'The natural habitats in Romania can support around 4,000 bears. So we have an overpopulation that leads to all these accidents.' Selfie photo by Omar Farang Zin. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Tourist who attempted to feed brown bear is mauled to death
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Tourist who attempted to feed brown bear is mauled to death
An Italian tourist was mauled to death by a brown bear in Romania a day after making a post on Facebook that showed close encounters with bears, including a selfie with a cub. Omar Farang Zin, 49, was touring on his motorcycle in the Carpathian Mountains on the famous Transfagarasan Highway on Thursday when he stopped next to a sign that warned tourists not to feed the bears, according to Observator News, Romania's leading news agency, and the BBC. 'He got off his motorcycle and offered the bear food,' Armand Chiriloiu, the director of the Arges Forestry Directorate, told Observator News. The bear attacked Zin and dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation drop of 262 feet, the BBC reported. Tourists alerted the police and emergency services. 'Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived,' Ion Sanduloiu, head of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service, told the BBC. 'The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't enough.' The police, emergency services and forestry officials who responded to the scene found themselves in danger of the same bear. 'The bear followed us the whole time,' Dragos Onea of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service told Observator News. 'She was very agitated. She attacked us a few times too. We also had [hunters] from Silvic. They were pointing their rifles at her the whole time.' The hunters ultimately killed the aggressive bear, and police patrolled the area to chase tourists away. The day before the attack, Zin posted a photo album of the bear encounters on his Facebook page. Romania is home to the largest brown bear population in the European Union with the country's environmental ministry estimating it to be upwards of 12,800 bears, according to the BBC. Tourists from all over Europe travel to this area specifically to see bears in the wild. The environment ministry said that nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the last 20 years, the Daily Mail reported. Last July, a 19-year-old girl was killed in a violent bear attack in the Bucegi mountains in central Romania. A few months before that, a 72-year-old tourist from Scotland was mauled by a bear in Arges county after rolling down her car window to take a photo of the animal, according to The Independent. 'A very large population has finally lost its fear of humans,' Ovidiu Ionescu, a forestry expert, told Observator News. 'The natural habitats in Romania can support around 4,000 bears. So we have an overpopulation that leads to all these accidents.' Selfie photo by Omar Farang Zin. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Tourist who attempted to feed brown bear is mauled to death
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
Bear kills man in Romanian mountains
A man has died after he was attacked by a bear in one of Romania's most scenic mountain victim, who had been riding a motorcycle, stopped at a popular tourist area on the Transfagarasan road on Tuesday morning, authorities said. The bear dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation drop of around 80 metres (262ft), they added. "Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived," Ion Sanduloiu, head of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service, told the BBC. "The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't enough."Sanduloiu said the victim had parked his bike next to a sign that warned not to feed the bears."My advice is simple: do not stop, do not feed them, and keep your distance," he animal has not yet been euthanised, officials said. An investigation into the incident is is home to the largest brown bear population in the European encounters have increased in recent years, with several fatal incidents prompting calls for clearer regulations and investment into prevention genetic population studies conducted by Romania's environment ministry estimated the country's brown bear population to be between 10,400 and 12,800 - significantly higher than previous environment minister Mircea Fechet considered the optimal sustainable population to be around 4,000 bears - roughly one-third of the current estimate. Fechet has proposed simplifying laws to allow local authorities to take more immediate action, including the ability to euthanise bears that enter residential ministry also plans to introduce risk zone maps to better manage bear populations, balancing conservation efforts with public say the death reflects deeper structural problems in Romania's wildlife management. Gabriel Paun, founder of the environmental NGO Agent Green, which campaigns for wildlife protection and against illegal logging, said the issue was mismanagement, not overpopulation."The recurring tragedies on the Transfagarasan road are the result of multiple failures: tourists stopping to interact with wild animals, local authorities not doing enough to drive bears back into the forest, and the national government – particularly the environmental ministry – failing to properly implement the national plan for coexistence between wildlife and humans," he said the bear population was threatened by "climate change, habitat destruction and human persecution", adding that Romania has become a "key destination" for international trophy hunters. Sanduloiu believes stronger deterrents are needed to prevent further loss of life."The solution is simple, in my opinion: higher fines and even prison sentences for those who stop to feed the bears," he said.
