Romanian special police staged an intervention on Saturday after 37 Polish tourists encountered and her cub on a mountain hike in northeast Romania.
A police officer who was hiking in the area in his free time spotted the group who were in danger and contacted his colleagues.
“A group of 37 Polish tourists were safely lowered by the mountain gendarmes from Vatra Dornei, after they spotted a bear and her cub on the route they were traveling, near the Călimani Quarry, in Suceava County,” the Suceava Gendarmerie said in a Facebook post. .
“The mountain gendarmes quickly arrived in the area and accompanied the group of tourists to the bus,” the statement said.
The statement reminded tourists not to approach a bear if they see one, not to photograph or feed it and to call the emergency number 112.
A 48-year-old Italian tourist was fatally mauled a year ago by a female bear who was with her cubs. The man had stopped to take photos of the bear and was dragged down a ravine despite signs warning tourists about the animals.
Nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the past two decades, of which 19 deaths occurred in the last five years, according to the environment ministry.
Tourists recovered by helicopter in Prahova
In other mountain rescues, three tourists were picked up by helicopter on Saturday evening by the mountain rescuers from Prahova from the Bucegi massif. Two people were in an advanced state of physical exhaustion and a tourist had sustained a knee injury.
The Prahova Mountain Rescue service said a rescuer was inserted on the Jepii Mici route to rescue the three hikers.
“A 77-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman were identified in the entrance area on Răducu’s Belt. They were in an advanced state of physical exhaustion, unable to move,” mountain rescuers said quoted by Agerpres.
A “49-year-old tourist, who had suffered a knee injury, was found by the Mountain Rescue patrol team, which assessed the situation and requested air support. (…) A land recovery would have involved a very large number of mountain rescuers and additional risks induced by the darkness,” the quoted source mentions.
Mountain rescuers recommend tourists choose routes adapted to their physical training, to check the weather forecast and to start early, to avoid unpleasant surprises
Polish tourists represent a rapidly growing demographic for Romania, with more thab 117,000 visitors traveling to the country annually.
Bear mauls Italian motorcyclist to death in Romanian mountains
