Tourist took selfie with bear ... before being mauled to death
Omar Farang Zin, 48, who travelling in the Carpathian Mountains, was dragged 60 yards down a steep gully and killed by a female bear after reportedly taking photos of the animal with its three cubs.
A day earlier, the Italian took several photos of a sleuth of bears by the side of a road, including a picture of himself with one of the animals a few yards behind him.
He also took a video of himself driving past a bear standing by the roadside, saying: 'Look at the bear, how beautiful.'
There has been an increasing number of bear attacks in the region in recent years as the country struggles to control its growing bear population.
Romania has the largest population of brown bears in the European Union, with conservationists estimating there are between 10,000 and 13,000 roaming the country's forests and mountains.
Forestry officers say that there are more than 110 bears living in the Carpathian Mountains when the optimal number should be around 25.
In one 24-hour period in May, there were three attacks in the mountains.
A 74-year-old Spanish woman was mauled by a bear as she took a photograph from her car with the window down. A Polish and a German tourist were also attacked in separate incidents.
There are signs in the area, in English as well as Romanian, warning people not to feed or get too close to wild bears.
In 2024, Romania's parliament doubled the number of bears that can legally be killed each year to 481, in an attempt to curb the population.
But wildlife groups blamed the country's bear problem on human behaviour.
Cristian Papp, from WWF Romania, told The Telegraph: 'The problem is not too many bears but the fact that we have more and more bears that are accustomed to the presence of humans and associate humans with food availability.
'For instance, hunters put out corn for wild boars but that attracts bears. Many times I have seen bears feeding on corn alongside roe deer and red deer. And tourists feed bears so they can take selfies with them. That needs to stop.'
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One told the Daily Mail: 'Harrison lived there with his mum for about ten years…he was there until a couple of years back and she disappeared earlier this year - supposedly to Dubai. 'Since Elaine's been gone, though, there's been debt collectors knocking at the door repeatedly.' Another former neighbour added: 'Harrison did bring home a couple of Lamborghinis just before he moved out. He'd park them in the street across the driveway. 'But he'd only have the cars for maybe a day or two and then they'd be taken back. 'He loved to film himself on his phone posing next to the car, it was all for his social media.' For a while, Sullivan was linked to 18-year-old dancer and OnlyFans model going by the name 'Lillie May' - blaming her for him not appearing in court over a string of driving offences. Surrey Police had launched a manhunt in March 2024 after he failed to stop after crashing his McLaren on a country lane in Surrey. 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Responding in video online, Sullivan said about the workman: 'He thinks he's some fella. You man work at the doors, you are losers, yeh, you are losers. Cool you think you have one up on me, cool.' Last month, he was also involved in a violent brawl on the streets of Magaluf while he was livestreaming content. Shocking footage shows Sullivan surrounded by multiple men who are aggressively shouting at each other. The influencer tells the men to 'calm down' before he is pushed and starts to retaliate. Sullivan is shown forcefully punching the man who had pushed him and knocking another to the ground as a crowd gathers around them. As the fight continues to escalate, bystanders begin cheering and screaming, while Sullivan unleashes a flurry of punches against the group of men. The brawl was eventually broken up and the two groups were separated from each other. Sullivan, who was livestreaming when the scuffle unfolded, has since been banned from the streaming platform Kick and his video has been deleted. Taking to X to comment on the incident, Sullivan said yesterday: 'Great night in Magaluf today banned off kick AGAIN for self defence. Joke.' Earlier in July, he was also seen clashing with someone who actually is famous: Louis Theroux. It's believed the film maker is investigating the grim antics of 'influencers' like Sulilivan. But for 'HSTIKKYTOKKY' rather than cowering from exposure - he saw this as just another opportunity to get attention. So in characteristic confrontational style, he posted a ranting video in which he accuses Mr Theroux of 'being friends' with dead paedophile Jimmy Saville - who the documentary maker previously made a BBC show about. He then went on to make the false claim that Mr Theroux was 'on the Epstein files' before asking him to play with him in a boxing game in an arcade. When asked what content he is making, Sullivan said: 'I am just talking to girls really. Walking around talking to girls, taking pictures with people who watch me.' He is then asked if he is surprised how young some of his fans are, some of which are said to be 11 or 12, to which the influencer said: 'They're too young to be watching my s***.' The most remarkable aspect of the whole tawdry saga - which makes it even more depressing that anyone might still be influenced by him - is that Sullivan himself has even previously admitted that his supposed life of luxury was a lie. In March 2023, Sullivan took to social media to announce he was 'broke' and his luxury life had been a 'lie'. But even this rare outbreak of honesty was in fact yet another act of brash opportunism: he was actually using it as a means to get attention for an even bleaker newer enterprise: a new attempt at a career by going on sleazy platform OnlyFans. He wrote: 'I've been thinking, how do I make dough? I've been going to the gym, I've been banging it out but listen. I never thought I'd be doing this, ever, ever, ever in my life but I have seen how much dough these girls are making, and even guys, on you know what. 'I have always been told, do you know what, if you did that, you'd make peas and f*** it I am going to do it. I basically do it on my Telegram anyways.' He then pans to a young blonde woman in a bikini and adds: 'The first bird that is going to be on there tonight is her. And each night I am going to have a different ting and you know what's going to happen.' After making some money on the account, he claimed he had been 'trolling' his fans all along and had made the account to prove a point that people wanted to see him 'go broke'. He later said: 'A lot of people were saying your renting your cars, your renting your watches, you make no money, a TikToker can't be making this kind of money all this b******s. 'So I went online and said okay guys I am being honest, I am broke, my life has been a lie. Surprisingly that got five million views because people love to see you win more than lose. ... 'So I ran with that story for a few days, I said my rents up on my apartment and in a few days I am going back to the UK. Then everyone went from hating on when I was flexing a watch or a Lambo or whatever to then being supportive, oh it's so good he's come out, he's such a good person I've changed my opinion on him.' It seems that the one commodity Sullivan is really 'flexing' is the credulity of those who follow him for any reason other than lurid fascination for a desperate attention seeker.
