Latest news with #OmarFarangZin
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
USA Today
07-07-2025
- USA Today
Tourist who attempted to feed brown bear is mauled to death
Oggi i protagonisti sono stati gli orsi bruni, ma paesaggi da favola. Dopo la Transalpina al passo Urdele, ho percorso... 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.
International Business Times
05-07-2025
- International Business Times
Italian Tourist Who was Fatally Mauled by Bear in Romania, Ignored Warnings to Stay Away from Wildlife, Posted Selfie with Cub Before Death
An Italian tourist was fatally mauled by a bear in Romania's Carpathian Mountains on Thursday after it stopped to take a selfie with a bear cub. Omar Farang Zin, a 49-year-old motorcyclist from Italy, had been exploring the rugged landscapes of Argeș County when he encountered the wild animal. As reported by BBC News, Zin had parked his motorbike next to a warning sign that explicitly advised tourists not to feed or approach the bears. The sign, tragically ignored, stood just meters away from where the bear launched its deadly attack. As previously reported, Zin was dragged down a 262-foot ravine by the bear. By the time rescuers arrived, it was too late. "The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't enough," said Ion Sanduloiu, head of the Argeș County Mountain Rescue Service. Just a day before the deadly incident, an excited Zin shared images and videos on Facebook of a bear standing alarmingly close to him on the roadside. In one clip, he is heard exclaiming, "Here's the bear! How beautiful. It's coming towards me." Emergency services and police were alerted by other tourists in the hours that followed by tourists who witnessed the incident. After conducting an hour-long search of the area, authorities discovered Zin's body at the bottom of the ravine. Romania's Carpathian Mountains are home to the Eurasian brown bear, the largest terrestrial predator in Europe and a subspecies of the brown bear. Even adolescent Eurasian brown bears—particularly those in their second or third year of life—can weigh anywhere between 200 and 300 pounds. While not fully grown, these juvenile bears have enough strength to tear a human apart, especially if startled, hungry, or fearful of humans. However, in Zin's case, it's implied that it was the cub's mother who attacked, instinctively trying to protect her cub from the man. The bear involved in the attack was later tracked down and euthanized by Romanian authorities—a standard response in fatal bear encounters that nevertheless sparked debate among conservationists and animal welfare advocates. The incident brought into question the country's handling of its brown bear population, which is estimated to be around 10,000 and 13,000 specimens, the largest in Europe behind Russia.
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Tourist mauled to death by huge bear after taking selfie with cub
Omar Farang Zin, 38, had posted photos of a large bear which appeared to be standing extremely close to him, as well as a selfie with a cub, before being killed in Romania 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.
