Arefu: Once again, a tourist has been killed by a bear in the Romanian Carpathians mountains, as reported by Romanian media, citing the disaster management authority. A 48-year-old foreign national was traveling on his motorcycle along the Transfagarasan mountain road, a popular route for tourists, when he was attacked by the wild animal near the village of Arefu. His body was found with bite wounds.
According to Ghana News Agency, police have launched an investigation into the exact circumstances of the death, with a suspicion that the man might have been killed in an involuntary manslaughter incident. Additional details were not available. The suspected animal, a female bear, was shot dead by authorities. Witnesses to the bear attack had alerted the disaster management authority via an emergency call.
The mountain village of Arefu is located 160 kilometers north-west of the capital Bucharest. The online newspaper ‘g4media.ro,’ citing the forestry office, reported that 112 bears live in the Arefu area alone. The number of bears in Romania has increased three to fourfold in recent years, according to preliminary findings of a study by the state forestry research institute Marin Dracea.
The bear population has grown from 3,000 to an estimated 10,000 to 13,000, according to the institute. An ecologically acceptable number is considered to be 4,000 bears in Romania. The final results of the study are expected to be published at the end of this year. For decades, bears in Romania have repeatedly entered villages and even cities, rummaging through rubbish bins and attacking people. There have already been several fatalities. Bears may only be killed with special permits.