Overview

• Italian motorcyclist Omar Farang Zin, 49, posted a close-up selfie with a bear cub on the Transfăgărășan road moments before the mother bear attacked him on July 6.
• Seconds after uploading the photo to Facebook, the adult bear charged and dragged him down a 40-meter ravine, where rescue teams recovered his body about an hour later.
• Armed forest guards shot and euthanized the protective mother bear under protocol to separate it from the victim’s remains.
• Authorities reiterated that feeding or approaching brown bears is prohibited along marked tourist routes and stressed the importance of maintaining safe distances.
• The case has reignited debate over managing Europe’s largest brown bear population in the Carpathians and the risks of social media-driven wildlife encounters.