Romanian bears near humans spark alerts in Transfăgărășan and Sibiu
On 27 July, a tourist walking along the Transfăgărășan mountain road was approached within a few centimetres by a brown bear. The man did not notice the animal until it was almost on his foot, then fled to his car. The incident was filmed by another driver, the video quickly went viral with more than 1.3 million views, and officials warned that bears are increasingly moving into lower‑elevation areas.
Later the same day, a bear entered central Sibiu, crossed the street and reached the courtyard of the Andrei Șaguna Pedagogical College. Authorities issued a RO‑Alert, advised residents to stay indoors, and deployed a team of gendarmes, a veterinarian, a hunter and a specialized unit. After a two‑hour chase through several neighbourhoods, the animal was tranquilised, captured and will be relocated to a mountain area.
In the nearby commune of Sânpetru, the mayor announced the installation of a capture trap after multiple sightings of two bears in the locality, and prepared an intervention team equipped with tranquiliser guns to handle any further incidents.
Entities: Andrei Șaguna Pedagogical College · Female bear (approx. 100 kg) · Romanian emergency services · Sibiu · Sibiu (city) · Sânpetru · Transfăgărășan road · brown bear
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] A bear approached a tourist on the Transfăgărășan road on 27 July, coming within a few centimetres of him. (804196d1-5037-4f86-8051-0e1abd2c61ec, 047bb8aa-1d23-4200-b454-41dc03957273)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Sibiu bear was tranquilised after a two‑hour chase and will be relocated to a mountain area. (effcefe8-ea54-4c4b-a5d4-8c56f7125c55, d21e91bd-da96-4ef2-8b5a-85c3137362af, 68c51e67-a3ff-4c1d-bdba-00b0bbbc16a9)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sibiu authorities issued a RO‑Alert warning residents to stay indoors during the bear incident. (effcefe8-ea54-4c4b-a5d4-8c56f7125c55, d21e91bd-da96-4ef2-8b5a-85c3137362af, 68c51e67-a3ff-4c1d-bdba-00b0bbbc16a9)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The mayor of Sânpetru announced the placement of a capture trap after multiple bear sightings. (af8aa917-e670-45e4-9d10-50614a4b22b6)
- [● 3 SOURCES] A bear entered central Sibiu on 27 July, reaching the courtyard of the Andrei Șaguna Pedagogical College. (effcefe8-ea54-4c4b-a5d4-8c56f7125c55, d21e91bd-da96-4ef2-8b5a-85c3137362af, 68c51e67-a3ff-4c1d-bdba-00b0bbbc16a9)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Transfăgărășan bear incident was recorded on video that received over 1.3 million views. (804196d1-5037-4f86-8051-0e1abd2c61ec, 047bb8aa-1d23-4200-b454-41dc03957273)