After ignoring signs that stated not to feed bears, Italian motorcyclist Omar Farang Zin was mauled to death when he offered food to a brown bear and her cubs.
Omar Farang Zin/FacebookOmar Farang Zin’s selfie with a bear was posted to his Facebook account just one day before he was mauled.
An Italian man on a motorcycle tour of Romania was mauled to death by a bear just one day after posting several photos of the animals to his Facebook page.
According to Romanian authorities, 48-year-old Omar Farang Zin dismounted his motorcycle to try and feed a mother bear and her cubs along the Transfagarasan road. The bear then attacked Zin and dragged him into a ravine. After recovering his phone, authorities said they found disturbing photos and close-ups of the bear charging at Zin.
Feeding Bears Is Prohibited In Romania, But Omar Zin Ignored Signs
Omar Farang Zin/FacebookA photograph taken by Omar Zin of a brown bear approaching him.
“He got off the motorcycle and offered food to the bear,” Argeş Forestry Department director Armand Chiriloiu told the Romanian outlet Observator News. “The Italian tourist’s phone was also found in which there are some photos prior to the attack. With the bear approaching, [Zin] was getting closer.”
Authorities emphasized that feeding bears is prohibited, and signs posted along Transfagarasan road warn of this in both Romanian and English. Even if someone can’t read those languages, the accompanying images make the message clear. Zin reportedly stopped to feed the bears right in front of one of these signs.
When he got too close, however, the mother bear attacked him and dragged him off into the forest. Drivers who saw the scene called emergency services to alert local authorities. Dozens of police officers, firefighters, and armed foresters arrived at the scene shortly after.
By the time they located Omar Farang Zin an hour later, however, it was too late. The bear then set its sights on the emergency responders.
Omar Farang Zin/FacebookOmar Farang Zin lived in Samarate, Italy, in the northern region of Lombardy.
“The bear followed us all the time,” said Argeş Mountain Rescuer Dragoş Onea. “She was very agitated. She attacked us a few times too. We also had the [hunters] from Silvic. They were always pointed with the rifle at her.”
The hunters eventually shot and killed the bear while local officers patrolled the area to make sure tourists stayed away — a task which was more difficult than it sounded.
“The road is very busy, and tourists from all over Europe come specifically to see bears in the wild. They come to photograph them, come to feed them… and the same tragedy can happen anytime,” said Dragoş Ionescu of a local hunting group.
An Overpopulation Of Bears Continues To Cause Problems
Sharp Photography/Wikimedia CommonsA Eurasian brown bear, found all across the forests of Romania.
Wildlife experts say the root of the problem is twofold: an overpopulation of bears and people’s reckless behavior. According to recent reports, there are 112 bears currently living in the Transfagarasan area — roughly four times the sustainable number. On a national scale, Romania’s brown bear population sits at around 13,000, making it the largest in Europe. Realistically, though, experts say the forests could likely only sustain around 4,000.
Forestry expert Ovidiu Ionescu explained that this overpopulation has also caused the bears to no longer fear humans. “A very large population that has lost fear of man,” he said. “Romania’s natural habitats can support about 4,000 specimens. So we have overpopulation leading to all these accidents.”
Zin, a Samarate, Italy, local who worked at Malpensa Airport, was not the first tourist to meet such a grim fate. Last month, three other tourists traveling along the Transfagarasan road were also attacked by bears they attempted to feed. Among them was a 75-year-old Spanish woman who was hospitalized with lacerations along her arms.
The increasing frequency of these incidents has prompted Mircea Fechet, the former Environment Minister of Romania, to plead with the European Commission to remove bears from Romania’s protected species list so that hunters can reduce their numbers. That request is still under review.
“Between human life and bear life,” Fechet said at the time, “I will always choose to protect human life.”
After reading about Omar Zin’s tragic fate after attempting to feed a bear, learn about Timothy Treadwell, the “Grizzly Man” who was eaten alive by bears. Then, go inside the story of the South African gamekeeper known as the “Lion Man” who was mauled by his own lions.
