Italian Tourist Mauled to Death by Bear in Romania After Attempting Selfie with Cub
A motorcyclist was tragically mauled to death by a bear in Romania on Thursday after reportedly trying to take a selfie with the animal’s cub.
Omar Farang Zin, a 49-year-old tourist from Italy, had been traveling along the scenic routes of the Carpathian Mountains in the central Argeș region when the fatal incident occurred. According to authorities, Zin stopped his motorbike and approached a bear cub, apparently to take a photo. The mother bear, reacting defensively, launched a sudden and violent attack.
The animal dragged Zin’s body down a steep ravine, making immediate rescue impossible. Alarmed tourists who witnessed the incident quickly alerted emergency services. In a joint statement, local police and emergency responders confirmed that, after an hour-long search, they discovered the man’s lifeless body at the bottom of the ravine.
The tragic event has reignited concerns about wildlife safety and the dangers of interacting with animals in their natural habitat. Authorities have once again urged visitors to Romanian forests and mountain areas to exercise extreme caution and avoid close contact with wild animals, particularly bears, which are known to inhabit the region in significant numbers.
Just a day before the fatal attack, Omar Farang Zin had shared a series of photos and videos on Facebook that now appear chilling in hindsight. In one striking image, the Italian tourist is seen standing alarmingly close to a large bear, while another photo shows him smiling as he poses for a selfie with a bear cub—seemingly unaware of the potential danger.
A video, also posted by Omar, captures a moment during his motorcycle ride through the Carpathian Mountains. In it, he films a bear perched on the side of the road. “Here’s the bear!” he exclaims in Italian. “How beautiful. It’s coming towards me,” he adds, his voice filled with excitement rather than fear.
Following the fatal incident, Romanian authorities confirmed that the bear involved in the attack was euthanized. The decision, while controversial, was reportedly made due to the animal’s aggressive behavior and risk to public safety.
The tragedy has sparked renewed debate about wildlife tourism, the risks of close encounters with wild animals, and the increasing number of bear sightings in Romania’s popular mountain regions. Experts and local officials continue to urge tourists to admire wildlife from a safe distance and to avoid any interaction that might provoke a defensive or predatory response.
Italian motorcyclist Omar Farang Zin was mauled to death by a bear in Romania on Thursday, shortly after he posed for a selfie with the animal’s cub during a ride through the Carpathian Mountains
Just a day before the tragic incident, the motorcyclist had shared photos of a bear standing alarmingly close to him, highlighting the dangerously casual approach he had taken toward the wild animal.
Omar, a passionate traveler, had reportedly been working at Milan Malpensa Airport prior to his trip to Romania, according to Italian media outlets. His sudden and tragic death has sparked an outpouring of grief online, with dozens of friends taking to Facebook to share their tributes.
“Goodbye Omar, I will always remember you with a smile,” one friend wrote. Another added, “Omar was a great man—he didn’t deserve to go this way.” A third described him as “everyone’s friend, because everyone loved you.”
Omar’s horrific death is the latest in a troubling pattern of bear-related fatalities in Romania, a country known for having one of the largest brown bear populations in Europe.
Just last year, a 19-year-old girl was killed in a brutal bear attack while hiking with her boyfriend in the Bucegi Mountains. The bear reportedly dragged her away and dropped her 330 feet down a cliff as her partner watched helplessly. The incident, which occurred in July 2024, stunned the country and led to renewed calls for stronger safety measures in bear-inhabited regions.
As human-wildlife encounters continue to rise in Romania’s mountainous regions, authorities are once again urging tourists to respect safety guidelines and avoid close contact with wild animals, particularly bears—whose protective instincts around cubs can quickly turn deadly.
An Italian motorcyclist was mauled to death by a bear in Romania after reportedly attempting to take a selfie with the animal’s cub—just a day after posting photos of another bear standing dangerously close to him.
Omar Farang Zin, 49, a travel enthusiast and airport worker from Milan, had been exploring Romania’s Carpathian Mountains on his motorbike when tragedy struck on Thursday in the central region of Argeș. According to authorities, he approached a bear cub for a photograph, prompting a violent attack by the nearby mother bear. The animal fatally mauled him and dragged his body down a steep ravine.
Tourists who witnessed the horrific scene immediately alerted emergency services. Police and rescuers searched the area for over an hour before recovering Omar’s lifeless body. Romanian authorities later confirmed that the bear responsible had been euthanized due to its aggressive behavior.
Just one day before the attack, Omar had posted images and videos on Facebook of his encounters with wild bears. In one clip, he films a bear by the roadside, exclaiming in Italian, “Here’s the bear! How beautiful. It’s coming towards me.” Another photo showed him smiling as he posed for a selfie with a bear cub, unaware of the fatal consequences that would soon follow.
Following the news of his death, dozens of friends took to social media to pay tribute. “Goodbye Omar, I will always remember you with a smile,” one wrote. Another described him as “a great man” who “didn’t have to go this way,” while a third friend remembered him as “everyone’s friend—because everyone loved you.”
Omar was described by Italian media as an adventurous traveler with a deep passion for exploring the world.
His death is the latest in a growing number of bear-related fatalities in Romania, which is home to Europe’s largest brown bear population. Just last year, a 19-year-old woman was killed in a harrowing attack while hiking in the Bucegi Mountains with her boyfriend. According to his account, the bear grabbed her by the leg, dragged her off the path, and threw her 330 feet down a cliff. When rescuers arrived, they found the bear circling her body.
Romania’s brown bear population is estimated at between 10,000 and 13,000, according to preliminary results from a multi-year DNA study released earlier this year. The country has recorded nearly 30 fatal bear attacks over the past two decades, with many more incidents resulting in injuries to people or livestock.
Bear sightings are common in rural and mountainous regions, and attacks are regularly reported in local media. In response to the increasing threat, Romania’s parliament last year doubled the annual bear culling quota to 481 to control the population and remove animals that have grown accustomed to entering towns and cities in search of food.
Wildlife experts have warned that the rise in bear attacks is not only due to population growth but also to human encroachment into natural habitats. Deforestation, construction, and climate change have all contributed to shrinking the animals’ territories, forcing more frequent and dangerous contact with humans.
Authorities continue to urge both tourists and residents to exercise caution in bear-inhabited areas and to avoid any interaction that might provoke the animals—particularly mothers with cubs, which are known to be especially defensive and unpredictable.
Just a day before his death, Omar shared video footage of himself riding past a bear perched on the side of the road, capturing the moment on camera as he expressed awe rather than fear.
In the days leading up to his death, the tourist had shared a series of images and videos documenting his close encounters with bears, including moments that showed just how near he had ventured to the wild animals.
Many bears are drawn to rubbish dumps on the outskirts of cities, as well as discarded food left by residents.
Wildlife experts have criticized officials for not doing enough to implement effective prevention measures, such as installing electric fences and improving waste management practices.
