Latest news with #Transfagarasan
Yahoo
5 days ago
- 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
6 days ago
- 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
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist mauled to death by bear while on holiday posted selfie with one before the fatal attack
An Italian man who was mauled to death by a bear while on a motorcycling trip in Romania took selfies with the animals before the fatal attack. Omar Farang Zin had posted photos and video of bear encounters while riding along Romania's famous Transfagarasan road the day before his death. Romanian authorities said he got off his motorbike and tried to feed a bear, local news outlets reported, before it dragged him into a ravine. Later, authorities told Romanian news outlets they found pictures and close-ups on his phone of a bear approaching him on his phone. Armand Chiriloiu, director of the Arges Forestry Directorate told Observator News: "He got off the motorcycle and offered the bear food. The Italian tourist's phone was also found, which contained some pictures prior to the attack. With the bear approaching... pictures, close-ups.' The bear then attacked him, authorities said, dragging Mr Zin into the forest while other motorcyclists at the scene called emergency services. Responders, including firefighters, forestry authorities, and police found the man's body, which had been dragged into a ravine by the bear. But they quickly realised they were also in danger, according to Observator. Dragos Onea-Arges from Mountain Rescue told the news outlet: "The bear followed us the whole time. She was very agitated. She attacked us a few times too.' The bear was later shot dead. The day before his death, Mr Zin posted several up-close videos and photos of encounters with bears on the road. In one video, he rides past a bear on his motorbike, commenting: 'Look, a bear! How beautiful'. In another clip he watches a bear in a gravelled area as the bear turns to approach him. 'It's coming towards me,' he says. Italian media report that Mr Zin lived in the town of Samarate, in the northern region of Lombardy. Milano Today reported he worked at Malpensa Airport, and dozens of tributes flowed in on his social media page, many of whom said they would remember him for his smiling and kind personality. Nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the past two decades, the environment ministry has said. Sightings of bears are common and local media regularly report bear attacks on people and livestock. In 2024, Romania's parliament doubled the annual bear kill quota to 481 per year. The move was taken to control the size of the bear population and to remove animals that have become accustomed to entering cities in search of food. It came just a week after a 19-year-old hiker died after she was attacked by a bear on a popular trail in the Carpathian mountains in central Romania. The teenager called emergency services as she was attacked. Just a few months prior, a 72-year-old Scottish tourist was mauled by a bear in Arges county after rolling down her car window to take a photo with the animal. Wildlife experts have said bear attacks have increased because of human behaviour as the shrinking of the animals' habitats due to construction, logging and climate change.
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Motorcyclist mauled to death by bear while on holiday posted selfie with one before the fatal attack
An Italian man who was mauled to death by a bear while on a motorcycling trip in Romania took selfies with the animals before the fatal attack. Omar Farang Zin had posted photos and video of bear encounters while riding along Romania's famous Transfagarasan road the day before his death. Romanian authorities said he got off his motorbike and tried to feed a bear, local news outlets reported, before it dragged him into a ravine. Later, authorities told Romanian news outlets they found pictures and close-ups on his phone of a bear approaching him on his phone. Armand Chiriloiu, director of the Arges Forestry Directorate told Observator News: "He got off the motorcycle and offered the bear food. The Italian tourist's phone was also found, which contained some pictures prior to the attack. With the bear approaching... pictures, close-ups.' The bear then attacked him, authorities said, dragging Mr Zin into the forest while other motorcyclists at the scene called emergency services. Responders, including firefighters, forestry authorities, and police found the man's body, which had been dragged into a ravine by the bear. But they quickly realised they were also in danger, according to Observator. Dragos Onea-Arges from Mountain Rescue told the news outlet: "The bear followed us the whole time. She was very agitated. She attacked us a few times too.' The bear was later shot dead. The day before his death, Mr Zin posted several up-close videos and photos of encounters with bears on the road. In one video, he rides past a bear on his motorbike, commenting: 'Look, a bear! How beautiful'. In another clip he watches a bear in a gravelled area as the bear turns to approach him. 'It's coming towards me,' he says. Italian media report that Mr Zin lived in the town of Samarate, in the northern region of Lombardy. Milano Today reported he worked at Malpensa Airport, and dozens of tributes flowed in on his social media page, many of whom said they would remember him for his smiling and kind personality. Nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the past two decades, the environment ministry has said. Sightings of bears are common and local media regularly report bear attacks on people and livestock. In 2024, Romania's parliament doubled the annual bear kill quota to 481 per year. The move was taken to control the size of the bear population and to remove animals that have become accustomed to entering cities in search of food. It came just a week after a 19-year-old hiker died after she was attacked by a bear on a popular trail in the Carpathian mountains in central Romania. The teenager called emergency services as she was attacked. Just a few months prior, a 72-year-old Scottish tourist was mauled by a bear in Arges county after rolling down her car window to take a photo with the animal. Wildlife experts have said bear attacks have increased because of human behaviour as the shrinking of the animals' habitats due to construction, logging and climate change.
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
Tragic biker tourist mauled to death by brown bear moments after taking smiling selfie and vid with ferocious wild beast
A MOTORCYCLIST was mauled to death by a bear moments after taking a smiling selfie with the deadly wild beast. Omar Farang Zin, 48, was on holiday in Romania when he initiated the unwise encounter. 5 5 5 The Italian was riding along the spectacular Transfagarasan road - famously crowned the "most beautiful in the world" by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear. He encountered a bear on the route, uploading a video of a shaggy beast peering onto the road, and returned the next day in hope of spotting another. Omar got what he was looking for when he met a bear with cubs wandering around a car park, and stopped to feed it. That turned out to be a terrible mistake. A photo found his mobile shows Omar, kitted out in sunnies a helmet for his pleasure ride, grinning and pointing to a brown bear who is standing just metres away. He also took a video of the predator as it prowled around the area, flicking menacing glares at the camera. The biker can be heard saying: "Here is the bear! How beautiful! It's coming towards me," in his native Italian. Omar uploaded the video to Facebook - but that would be the last thing he ever did. Just moments later, the bear charged him and unleashed a ferocious attack. The beast dragged Omar out of the car park and about 60 metres into a ravine, where it mauled him to death. Bloodthirsty bear leaves only woman's severed head behind in vicious attack as victim's last moments captured on CCTV Passing motorists witnessed the harrowing scene and immediately called the emergency services. Police officers, firefighters and forest rangers all rushed to the scene - but Omar could not be saved. The rescue teams managed to recover his body, which was covered in bite wounds, and took it away for a post-mortem. Armand Chiriloiu, director of the forest authority, told Romanian newspaper Cancan: 'He got off his motorbike and offered some food to the bear. 5 5 'The Italian tourist's phone was also found, which contained some photos taken before the attack. "As the bear approached, he approached. With photos, close-ups.' The area was cleared following the fatal encounter and the bear was later shot dead. He also took a video of the bear as he passed it on his bike. The clip shows a shaggy bear peering onto the road over a barrier as Zin trundles past on his bike.
