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An Italian tourist who died after being mauled by a brown bear in Romania took photos with the animal just before the fatal attack, per a local media outletOmar Farang Zin, who was 48, also posted photos on Facebook of his encounters with some bears just a day before the attackZin had offered the animal food before the incident, according to a report
A motorcyclist who was gruesomely mauled to death by a brown bear in Romania took photos with the animal just before he was fatally attacked.
Omar Farang Zin, a 48-year-old Italian tourist, was riding his motorcycle on the Transfagarasan Highway and stopped near the Vidraru Dam where he saw the bear on the side of the road.
“He got off his motorcycle and offered the bear food,” Armand Chiriloiu, the director of the Arges Forestry Directorate, told Romanian outlet Observator News. “The Italian tourist’s phone was also found, which contained some pictures prior to the attack. With the bear approaching, it was approaching. With pictures, close-ups,”
Just one day before the attack on July 1, Zin posted a photo album of his encounters with some bears on his personal Facebook page. In the photos, he is seen smiling and posing with a bear in the background while wearing a motorcycle helmet.
A stock photo of a brown bear.
Thomas Faull/Getty
The bear attacked Zin and dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation drop of 262 feet, according to the BBC.
“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 motorcycle next to a sign that warned people not to feed the bears.
“My advice is simple: do not stop, do not feed them, and keep your distance,” Sanduloiu added, per the outlet.
Hunters shot the bear dead following the incident, per Observator News.
“The bear followed us the whole time,” Dragos Onea of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service told the outlet. “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.”
Romania is home to the largest brown bear population in the European Union, per the BBC. Romania’s environment ministry estimated the country’s brown bear population to be between 10,400 and 12,800.
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Former environment minister Mircea Fechet considered the optimal sustainable population to be around 4,000 bears — roughly a third of the current estimated population — the outlet reported.
Bear attacks in Romania have seen a steep increase amid the booming population. In July 2024, 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 U.K. outlet The Independent.
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