American tourist attacked by bear in central Romania

A holiday in Romania didn’t end so well for a young American tourist, as he was attacked and bitten by a bear near Brasov mountain resort, in central Romania. The incident occurred on Saturday near the Solomon’s Stones (Pietrele lui Solomon) touristic area. The 20 years-old tourist was transported to the Brasov County Hospital, with wounds in the forearm and thigh. However, the injuries were not life-threatening, and the man was conscious when he was transported to the hospital, reports local Mediafax. Right after the incident, the gendarmes, together with the police and representatives of the Kronstadt Forest Department went to the area to take the tourists to safety. This isn’t the first incident of this kind that takes place in Brasov county, and these sort of things usually happen because people venture to wooded areas alone or in pairs, according to local authorities. They recommend tourists not to leave the marked trails. A 2014 census showed that Romania is home to some 6,000 brown bears. Most of them live in Covasna, Harghita, and Brasov counties in central Romania, in the Carpathian forests. A bear has recently caused a massive scandal in Romania after it was shot dead in Sibiu. The incident occurred in mid-October, and the way the authorities handled it had triggered many negative reactions in the country. It even led to the resignation of the Sibiu Police chief. Romania stops the hunting of brown bears, wolves and wildcats Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com