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Romania Culls Bear After Fatal Attack on Italian Motorcyclist, Opens Manslaughter Inquiry

Authorities are reviewing overcrowded bear populations to tighten safety protocols on the Transfăgărășan highway

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Overview

  • A 48-year-old Italian motorcyclist was killed on July 3 after he stopped to photograph a female bear with cubs near Arefu on the Transfăgărășan highway
  • Rescue teams and gendarmes spent about an hour searching the woods before recovering his body and issued a Ro-Alert to warn locals while the bear was at large
  • The female bear that carried out the attack was shot and killed later the same day after containment efforts failed to secure it alive
  • Romanian police opened an involuntary manslaughter probe to clarify the exact circumstances of the tragedy
  • Romsilva reports 112 bears in the Arefu hunting ground—more than four times the recommended limit—and officials are reassessing wildlife management and visitor guidelines