Bear kills motorcyclist in Romanian mountains

A antheral has died aft helium was attacked by a carnivore successful 1 of Romania's astir scenic upland regions.

The victim, who had been riding a motorcycle, stopped astatine a fashionable tourer country connected the Transfagarasan roadworthy connected Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The carnivore dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation driblet of astir 80 metres (262ft), they added.

"Unfortunately, helium was already dormant erstwhile we arrived," Ion Sanduloiu, caput of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service, told the BBC.

"The injuries were highly severe. Even though helium was wearing a helmet and afloat protective gear, it wasn't enough."

Sanduloiu said the unfortunate had parked his motorcycle adjacent to a motion that warned not to provender the bears.

"My proposal is simple: bash not stop, bash not provender them, and support your distance," helium added.

The carnal has not yet been euthanised, officials said. An probe into the incidental is ongoing.

Romania is location to the largest brownish carnivore colonisation successful the European Union.

Human-bear encounters person accrued successful caller years, with respective fatal incidents prompting calls for clearer regulations and concern into prevention strategies.

Recent familial colonisation studies conducted by Romania's situation ministry estimated the country's brownish carnivore colonisation to beryllium betwixt 10,400 and 12,800 - importantly higher than erstwhile counts.

Former situation curate Mircea Fechet considered the optimal sustainable colonisation to beryllium astir 4,000 bears - astir one-third of the existent estimate.

Fechet has projected simplifying laws to let section authorities to instrumentality much contiguous action, including the quality to euthanise bears that participate residential areas.

The ministry besides plans to present hazard portion maps to amended negociate carnivore populations, balancing conservation efforts with nationalist safety.

Conservationists accidental the decease reflects deeper structural problems successful Romania's wildlife management.

Gabriel Paun, laminitis of the biology NGO Agent Green, which campaigns for wildlife extortion and against amerciable logging, said the contented was mismanagement, not overpopulation.

"The recurring tragedies connected the Transfagarasan roadworthy are the effect of aggregate failures: tourists stopping to interact with chaotic animals, section authorities not doing capable to thrust bears backmost into the forest, and the nationalist authorities – peculiarly the biology ministry – failing to decently instrumentality the nationalist program for coexistence betwixt wildlife and humans," helium said.

Paun said the carnivore colonisation was threatened by "climate change, situation demolition and quality persecution", adding that Romania has go a "key destination" for planetary trophy hunters.

Sanduloiu believes stronger deterrents are needed to forestall further nonaccomplishment of life.

"The solution is simple, successful my opinion: higher fines and adjacent situation sentences for those who halt to provender the bears," helium said.