An aggressive bear that attacked a Swiss tourist on the famous Transfăgărășan mountain road in Romania was shot on Sunday, June 14. The intervention was carried out by specialists of the Argeș Forestry Directorate, after assessing the situation and the danger posed by the animal, Romsilva announced.
The attack occurred around 4 PM on the Transfăgărășan road, in the vicinity of the Vidraru Dam area, on the section extending to the entrance to Moliviș, in an area known for the frequent presence of bears.
Initially, authorities believed that the tourist had fed the bear, an illegal act. After verifying the information, they reportedly established that this was not the case. Instead, the Swiss citizen was allegedly trying to photograph the wild animal at the time of the incident.
Representatives of the Argeș County Gendarmerie Inspectorate, the deputy mayor of Arefu commune, and a representative of the hunting fund intervened at the scene. They established that the animal was aggressive and decided to shoot it, according to Romsilva.
Bear sightings are common on the Transfăgărășan, especially as the animals got used to tourists giving them food, despite the authorities’ repeated calls to avoid any contact with the wild animals and the risk of being fined for doing so. This sometimes resulted in tourists being injured or even killed by the bears they stopped to photograph or feed.
Moreover, specialists have repeatedly warned that this situation also changes the animals’ behavior, as they get used to receiving food from humans, which in turn can be dangerous for their survival in the wild.
In response to the incident, the Argeș Forestry Directorate announced that it has intensified monitoring and prevention measures for bear-related incidents. Patrols are also surveying the Transfăgărășan to monitor bears and tourists. Those caught feeding the bears will be issued fines worth RON 30,000 (EUR 6,000).
Last week, three tourists were injured by bears in two separate attacks on the Transfăgărășan. The victims endangered themselves by approaching the bear, despite numerous official warnings and even fines. Reacting to the event, deputy prime minister and interim minister of agriculture, Tanczos Barna, a longtime crusader for the hunting of bears, said he initiated a process to remove the brown bear from the list of the EU’s protected species.
(Photo source: Mmediu.ro)
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