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.
