Motorcyclist killed in bear attack on Romanian scenic mountain road
BUCHAREST - A motorcyclist was mauled to death by a bear on a road in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania on Thursday, emergency service officials said, the latest attack in the country with the European Union's largest population of brown bears.
Romania has a brown bear population of 10,000 to 13,000, preliminary results of a multi-year DNA study showed this year, and authorities are struggling to keep residents and tourists in mountain towns safe.
Police and emergency services said in a joint statement that tourists had alerted them to Thursday's attack on the Transfagarasan road in the central county of Arges. The bear had dragged the motorcyclist down a ravine, they said.
There were no details about the motorcyclist's identity.
Almost 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the last two decades, the environment ministry has said. Sightings of bears are common and local media regularly report bear attacks on people and livestock.
Last year, Romania's parliament doubled the annual bear kill quota to 481 bear kills per year to control the size of the bear population and to remove animals that have become accustomed to entering cities in search of food.
Wildlife experts have said bear attacks have increased because of human behaviour as the shrinking of the animals' habitats due to construction, logging and climate change.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow
Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024
Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing
Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022
Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool fans in Singapore pay tribute to the late Diogo Jota
Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub
Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July
Business 60 S'pore firms to get AI boost from Tata Consultancy as it launches new innovation centre here
Many bears are also attracted by rubbish dumps on the outskirts of cities and by discarded food. Officials have not done enough to step up prevention measures, including electric fences and better trash management, wildlife experts said. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Van driver in Malaysia arrested for dropping off school kids while vehicle was still moving, Malaysia News
A van driver in Selangor, Malaysia, has been arrested after a viral video showed school-going children boarding and alighting from his moving vehicle. Dashcam footage making the rounds online since Tuesday (Aug 19) shows a boy walking alongside the moving van and opening its door. With the vehicle still in motion, another student inside the vehicle alights. The boy on the road continues walking to keep up with the van and manages to board the vehicle. The student who had alighted follows beside the van and gets on again. Kajang district police chief Naazron Abdul Yusof said this action could have put the safety of the van passengers and other road users at risk, reported the New Straits Times. The driver, a 59-year-old Malaysian man, was subsequently nabbed by police and is being investigated for dangerous driving. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to five years and a fined between RM5,000 (S$1,500) and RM15,000, Naazron said in a statement. [[nid:720373]]
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
NZ soldier sentenced to two years' detention for attempted espionage
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The court martial heard the soldier gave military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer posing as an agent for the foreign nation. PALMERSTON NORTH, New Zealand - A military court sentenced a New Zealand soldier on Aug 20 to two years' detention for attempted espionage for a foreign power. The soldier, whose name has been suppressed, admitted to attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose and knowingly possessing an objectionable publication. The court martial at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North heard the soldier gave military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer posing as an agent for the foreign nation. During the investigation he was found to have copies of a livestreamed video of the March 2019 killing of 51 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant. The soldier became a person of interest in the aftermath of the Christchurch attack as police cracked down on right-wing extremist groups, of which he was a member, the court heard. While monitoring him, the New Zealand government became aware he had 'made contact with a third party, indicating that he was a soldier who was wanting to defect', according to an agreed summary read out by the prosecution. The military court has permanently suppressed the identity of the foreign nation. It was the first spying conviction in New Zealand's history. The soldier was arrested in December 2019, and had spent all but six days since then under what the New Zealand Defence Force called open arrest. He was required to live on an army base in a military house, and was subject to a curfew. The soldier was suspended on full pay, earning more than US$230,000 (S$295,806) since his arrest. During that time he married his wife and had two children. His wife is expecting a third child. AFP
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
No decline in online scam cases in Malaysia despite campaigns, says minister
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Malaysia's Home Minister said scams such as job scams, parcel scams and love scams remain among the most rampant forms of cybercrime in the country. KUALA LUMPUR - Despite numerous awareness campaigns and enforcement measures, online scam cases in Malaysia have not shown any significant decline, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution. The Home Minister said scams such as job scams, parcel scams and love scams remain among the most rampant forms of cybercrime in the country, even though agencies including the police, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia and the private sector had undertaken continuous outreach programmes. 'Although various initiatives and awareness campaigns have been implemented through forums, social media, exhibitions and talks, the trend of online scams has not shown a noticeable reduction,' he said in a parliamentary reply on Aug 19. Mr Saifuddin attributed the persistence of scams to four main factors - the constantly changing tactics of syndicates, low levels of digital literacy, the openness of digital platforms and challenges in cross-border enforcement. He explained that scammers frequently use fake identities and cloned websites to deceive victims, while many people, including the young and elderly, still lack understanding of such modus operandi. This, he said, makes them vulnerable despite repeated awareness efforts. On enforcement, he said most of the syndicates operated from abroad, using anonymity to complicate investigations and prosecutions. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Proposals sought to develop Changi East Urban District next to T5 World Top officers hold Ukraine talks after Trump rules out sending US troops Business New CDC job-matching drive may bring overlooked front-line roles closer to applicants: Experts Singapore NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and ex-CFO gave input to 'play down' energy component of Tuaspring project Business SGX wants to woo private companies to list in Singapore, says its head of research Opinion The era of job dating? It's all about matching employers and talent To counter this, he said the police conducted more than 10,400 prevention activities nationwide in 2024, ranging from exhibitions and community talks to meet-and-greet sessions and media engagements. Mr Saifuddin said Malaysia had also strengthened its international cooperation by moving to ratify the Budapest Convention and the United Nations Convention on cybercrime, in addition to enhancing the role of the National Scam Response Centre, now placed under the Home Ministry and led by the police. 'Through the Frontier+ platform, NSRC is also working with foreign anti-scam centres to curb financial transactions involving international syndicates,' he said, adding that Malaysia's participation in Asean and international forums was crucial in tackling cross-border cybercrime. At the same time, he said the Safe Internet Campaign, launched in January 2025, had so far reached 559 schools and higher learning institutions nationwide, involving more than 60,000 students. Mr Saifuddin urged the public to remain vigilant and to verify transactions through official channels. 'Fighting online scams requires comprehensive cooperation from all parties to create a safer and more ethical cyberspace,' he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
