Virtual outings: An online dose of Romania’s nature and wildlife

A walk in the park or a trip to the mountains might not be possible these days but a virtual outing to some of the most beautiful corners of the country is. And it comes with sightings of wild cats hunting, wild boars at nature’s spa, beautiful sunsets and views of quiet mountain tops. From documentaries to photos and videos, we outline a selection of resources featuring local nature sites.

Probably the best-known series about Romania’s nature landscapes and customs, Wild Carpathia explores “the fragile glory of Europe’s last surviving wilderness and shows why it needs to be preserved for the benefit of future generations and the survival of our most endangered carnivores.” The series started after presenter and producer Charlie Ottley made a first visit to Romania in 2011. Covering spots such as the Danube Delta, the region of Maramureș, Moldavia or the little known parts of the southern Carpathians, among many others, it is a visual feast and an invitation to take more care of our surroundings. The first three parts of the series can be watched here.

The 2018 documentary Untamed Romania also celebrates the country’s ancient forests and the diverse wildlife inhabiting them, offering the views of “a show filled with splendor, grace, ferocity, candor, and humor” that millions of plants and animals put on. The documentary is currently available on Netflix.

Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC), which aims to create a wilderness reserve in the Southern Carpathians, also offers nature videos and photos. Their work covers the wider Făgăraș Mountains Natura 2000 site, Piatra Craiului National Park and Leaota Mountain. On their YouTube channel, available here, various videos of wild animals captured in their environment are available, while another recent project was the “Carpathia” photo exhibition, launched last October at the Bucharest Photofest 2019, and showcased at the beginning of this year at Alpin Film Festival. The exhibition documents the work of the FCC team of rangers as they undertake a wildlife monitoring program spanning some 100,000 hectares. The photos were taken by Nicholas J R White, and some of them are available here.

The national forest administration Romsilva regularly posts on its Facebook page numerous photos taken in the nature parks it administers but also many videos featuring the wild animals roaming the forests it manages: bears, wolves, bison, deer, foxes, and many others. We have compiled a selection of videos