Tourist murdered by mother-bear a day after he posted a selfie with her cub online
In a horrific incident, a bear in Romania killed a motorist just a day after he posted a selfie with its cub online. The Italian motorist, Omar Farang Zin, was traveling on his bike in Romania and taking selfies with the wild animals. In one of his selfies, he is spotted dangerously close to a bear. According to the Independent, the man got off his motorbike to feed the bear, until the wild animal took him for lunch.
The animal attacked him and dragged his body down the ravine. Romanian authorities confirmed that moments after this vicious attack, tourists alerted the police, and it took around an hour for them to find his body. Upon searching his personal belongings, they found a lot of selfies taken with the bear even moments before the attack. The pictures also showed the animal approaching him. The angry bear also attacked the rescue team, according to the Italian officials.
Dragos Onea-Arges from Mountain Rescue told the Observator News, "The bear followed us the whole time. She was very agitated. She attacked us a few times, too.” Officials, including firefighters, forestry authorities, and police, realized they were also in danger when they were searching to find Omar’s body. Ultimately, the bear was shot dead. Farang Zin, 49, posted quite a few videos online riding his bike alongside a bear cub, introducing his viewers, like, “Look, a bear! How beautiful,” or “It’s coming towards me,” until the next day, when its mother ate him.
Reports mentioned that Zin was based out of Samarate, which is in the northern region of Lombardy. He worked at Malpensa Airport, and following his terrible death, many people paid him tribute on his social media page. The Independent further reported that, according to the country’s environment ministry, over 30 people have met with the same fate as Omar. The incident has terrified many, and it occurred just a week after a 19-year-old girl was mauled to death by a bear in Romania during her hike.
These bears enter cities in search of food. The Romanian human development has come relatively closer to its habitat, therefore leading to such cases. The Daily Mail highlighted that deaths by bears have been on the rise in the country since humans have encroached on their wildlife and built a home for themselves. These human actions directly affect their living, with the deteriorating climate further forcing these animals to hunt beyond the walls of their broken homes.
Wildlife experts said that these bears are often found on the outskirts of Romanian cities, finding food in the dumps. Some die due to electrical fencing, and proper protective and preventive measures by the government are lacking. While people online said that they would remember Farang Zin for his wide smile, this incident must also be remembered for the bear who lost her life due to our invasion of the forests, her primary home. We have systematically led these wild animals to become homeless and wander for sustenance.