The bear kills a man in Romanian mountains

One has died after being attacked by a bear in one of Romania’s most lively mountainous areas.

The victim, who was driving a motorcycle, stopped in a popular tourist area on the Transfagarasan road on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The bear dragged him down a steep gully with a drop of a elevation of about 80 meters (262 feet), they added.

“Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived,” Yon Sandulio, head of the ArgS County Rescue Service, told the BBC.

“The injuries were extremely severe. Although he wore a helmet and full protective equipment, that wasn’t enough.”

Sandulio said the victim had parked her bike next to a sign that warned not to feed the bears.

“My advice is simple: don’t stop, don’t feed them or keep your distance,” he added.

The animal has not yet been euthanized, employees said. The incident investigation continues.

Romania is home to the largest population of brown bears in the European Union.

In recent years, meetings with human bears have been increasing, with several fatal incidents provoking calls for clearer provisions and investments in prevention strategies.

Recent studies of the genetic population conducted by the Ministry of Environment in Romania have evaluated that the population of brown bears in the country is between 10,400 and 12,800 – significantly higher than previous numbers.

Former Minister of Environment, Mircea Fechet, believes that the optimal sustainable population is about 4,000 bears – approximately one -third of this assessment.

Fochet has proposed the simplification of laws to allow local authorities to take more and more fun, including the ability to euthanize bears that enter residential areas.

The ministry also plans to introduce risk areas for better management of the bears, balancing efforts to protect public safety.

Environmentalists say that death reflects deeper structural problems in the management of the wildlife of Romania.

Gabriel Paun, founder of the Green Environmental NGO agent, which campaigns to protect wildlife and against illegal felling, said the issue was bad governance, not overpopulation.

“Repeated tragedies along the path of transfagaras are the result of many failures: tourists who stop interacting with wild animals, local authorities do not do enough to drive bears back into the forest, and the national government is more special to the eco -ministry – it fails to properly implement the national plan for the domestic existence.

Peacock said the bears’ population was threatened with “climate change, habitat destruction and pursuit of man”, adding that Romania has become a “key destination” for international trophies.

Sanduloiu believes that more strong deterrents are needed to prevent more loss of life.

“The decision is simple, in my opinion: higher fines and even sentences in prison for those who stop feeding bears,” he said.