One Facebook album of close encounters. One stop beside a warning sign. For an Italian rider on one of Europe’s most famous roads, the two events were less than 24 hours apart.
A Fatal Stop on a Famous Road
Omar Farang Zin, 48, from Samarate in Lombardy, was touring Romania by motorcycle in early July 2025. On Thursday, July 3, he rode the Transfagarasan Highway, a dramatic mountain road through the Carpathians that attracts bikers from across Europe. Near the Vidraru Dam he spotted a brown bear with her cubs at the roadside, parked his motorcycle and stepped off.
Authorities say he offered the animals food. Armand Chiriloiu, director of the Argeș Forestry Directorate, told Observator News: “He got off the motorcycle and offered the bear food.” Feeding bears is prohibited in Romania, and warning signs along the road say so in Romanian and English, with pictures that make the message clear. Reports say Zin stopped next to one of them.
The Photos Found on His Phone
The day before the attack, Zin had posted a photo album of bear encounters on his Facebook page, including a selfie with one of the animals. Investigators later recovered his phone and found pictures and videos taken just before the attack, showing the bear walking toward him while he kept getting closer.
As the bear closed in, he kept shooting. The mother then attacked him and dragged him down a steep ravine, a drop of roughly 80 meters (262 feet), according to media reports. Motorcyclists at the scene called emergency services.
A Rescue Under Threat
Police, firefighters, mountain rescuers and armed foresters rushed to the road. The bear was still highly agitated. “The bear followed us the whole time,” said Dragoș Onea of the Argeș County Mountain Rescue Service. Hunters kept their rifles trained on her, and she was eventually shot dead. Police then patrolled the area to keep tourists away.
A Road Where Bears Have Lost Their Fear
The tragedy is not an isolated one. Romania’s environment ministry says nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in the country over the past two decades. A 72-year-old Scottish tourist was also mauled in Argeș County after rolling down her car window to photograph a bear, and a 19-year-old woman was killed in the Bucegi mountains in July 2024.
Experts point to two causes: too many bears and too much human feeding. Romania is home to the largest brown bear population in the European Union, estimated by the environment ministry at between 10,000 and 13,000 animals, while officials describe the optimal figure as around 4,000. Tourists who stop to feed and photograph bears teach them to wait at the roadside for handouts.
What Romania Is Doing Now
Pressure for action has grown since Zin’s death. Then-Environment Minister Mircea Fechet had asked the European Commission to lift the brown bear’s protected status, arguing for stronger population control. In April 2026, lawmakers nearly doubled the annual hunting quota for 2026 and 2027, to 859 bears. Conservationists remain unconvinced. Cristina Lăpiș of the Libearty Sanctuary noted that hunting will not happen where bears gather beside the road, and Reuters reported in August 2026 that at least 20 bears approached motorists in just three hours on the Transfagarasan, many stopped to feed them and take selfies.
Planning a Road Trip Through Bear Country? Protect Yourself
Adventure riders and wildlife lovers can take sensible steps before leaving home:
- Insurance. Compare international travel insurance, motorcycle insurance for riding abroad and emergency medical evacuation coverage.
- Personal protection. Review accident insurance and life insurance if you travel for adventure.
- Guided trips. Book guided motorcycle tours and licensed wildlife watching tours with operators who follow safety rules.
- Safer photography. Choose telephoto camera lenses, zoom cameras and binoculars to photograph animals from a safe distance.
- Gear. Look at riding helmets, protective motorcycle jackets and GPS navigation units designed for long mountain routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Omar Farang Zin? He was a 48-year-old Italian from Samarate in Lombardy who worked at Malpensa Airport and was on a motorcycle tour of Romania when he was killed on the Transfagarasan Highway in July 2025.
What happened to him? Authorities say he stopped to feed and photograph a brown bear with her cubs, and the mother bear attacked him and dragged him down a steep ravine.
Is it illegal to feed bears in Romania? Yes. Feeding bears is prohibited, and signs along the Transfagarasan road warn tourists in both Romanian and English.
Why are there so many bears on the Transfagarasan road? Romania has the largest brown bear population in the European Union, and bears along the road have become used to people handing them food.
What has Romania done in response? Lawmakers nearly doubled the annual bear hunting quota for 2026 and 2027, while officials continue to seek ways to keep tourists from feeding and approaching the animals.
Sources: The Independent, People, Visordown, Jalopnik, Il Sole 24 Ore, Euronews, and Reuters, all covering the July 2025 fatal bear attack on Italian motorcyclist Omar Farang Zin on Romania’s Transfagarasan Highway and the debate over Romania’s bear population.
Leave a Reply