Bears are considered solitary and timid animals, but meetings with them can cause hiking amateur problems. Many Romanians told how they were helped by the sprays for bears at such times.
The bears made victims in Romania. Photo: freepik.com
At least ten thousand bears live in Romania, and some of them have become ordinary presence in the localities in the Carpathian Mountains or on the roads frequented by tourists, such as Transfăgărășan.
Bears, more and more common
Many tourists admire them, but the authorities showed that the number of these wild animals is raised compared to the optimal herd, of about 4,000 copies, which Romania should have, for their efficient control.
“According to the analyzes performed on the basis of over 24,000 evidence collected from 25 counties, the study makers estimate that in Romania live between 10,419 and 12,770 brown bear specimens, with a level of 95%. It is for the first time that Romania can say, based on a solid scientific foundation, how many bears it has in its forests. Based on visual observations or indirect methods. In April 2025, Mircea Fechet, former Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, declared.
The wild lands and the natural reserves in the Carpathian Mountains have represented, since ancient times, ideal habitats for the brown bear. Unlike most states in Europe, Romania has managed to keep a high population of large wild animals, with bears being estimated at over half of the total specimens in Europe, except Russia.
How useful are the sprays in front of bears
Many tourists who make travel plans in the Carpathian Mountains are interested in what extent bears can endanger them. A foreign tourist came to Via Transilvanica, the travel route that crosses the Carpathians wanted to find out from the locals if the bears sprays can get rid of the care of an unwanted attack. Some and Romanians told him the experiences they went through and why they consider it necessary to wear such a container.
“The more experienced montaniard, the more you understand that you are wise to have such a spray to you when you go alone on the mountain, through the Carpathians. There is little chance to have to use it, but it is good for it. It is useful for the dogs. Even though I have been doing this for 20 years and I met with bears only four times ”tells a tourist, on the Facebook group “Via Transilvanica”.
Bears are usually solitary and timid animals. They avoid contact with people or other living things. However, they are extremely motivated by food, because of the need to gather enough winter reserves, another tourist reported.
“A bear will only attack you unless it feels the presence of food or if it feels threatened. It matters a lot. A spray will not necessarily be a discouragement factor, but it can certainly help you. I speak from experience.” add it.
Another Romanian told how the bear spray saved it from a difficult situation.
“In 2023, on the small jepii, I had an unfortunate event: after a turn on a fairly narrow path, I woke up face to face with a bear and her chicks. Of course, I sang, I whistled and I laughed (no, I was not alone-I was two couples, And without sudden gestures.”, An Internetaut told.
Dogs from sheep, more dangerous than bears
Another Romanian passionate about the mountain travelers recommends the tourists not to worry about the bears, because in most cases, if a bear feels the presence of a man, he will avoid it.
“Just do not approach him to feed him and not panic if you see him, do not run away. Simply retreat and avoid it! It is good to have a good spray, rather for sheep dogs, which can attack in the pack-they are the greatest danger in the mountains! transmit it.
A traveler confirms that the spray has proven effective when using it to get out of the middle of a pack of aggressive dogs.
“I entered the territory of a sheep and I woke up surrounded by three shepherds and another 5-6 dwarves next to them. I stayed with the sticks next to me and whistled, until a bigger one to take me, and then I spray and ran. The shepherd, afterwards, told me that I had to shake my head, that he was a bad dog. So I think I rushed a little, but I don’t regret it ”, says another Romanian.
Another Romanian says he wears the spray to him, but he did not have the opportunity to use it, not because he did not see bears, on the routes in Prahova and Brașov they are increasingly met, but because the spray is the last thing he thinks should be used to defend himself.
“I would not go with a spray if there is a chance to bypass, to go back, to leave the bear on the path, anything else that does not annoy it. Because no, it is not magical. It is a little wind to confuse you.”he says.
Tips for travelers in the wild
A Romanian -passionate Romanian recommends that travelers have hiking sticks, spray with pepper to beat at least three meters, ideal five meters and, possibly, an electroshock device. If they can buy firecrackers, they could be useful for the removal of aggressive animals.
“I am a amateur mountain runner and I can definitely say: sheep dogs are much more aggressive than bears. Bears generally avoid people, especially the loud groups on the route. In principle, they just want to be left in peace.he concludes.
The mountain gendarmes offer recommendations for those who venture in the wild areas where there is a risk of meeting bears: make sure you have at least one hiking partner; Discuss, make noise, to be heard of wild animals and avoid you; Wear, hanging from the backpack, a so -called bear -bell, bell bell; When you camp, do not hold the food in the tent; Wear a pepper spray against the bears; wear a whistle to the neck; If you notice the presence of the bear from the distance, make noise; Try to avoid animals as much as possible.
The population of growing bears in Romania
In the 1960s, official estimates showed that about 2,000 bears lived in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.
The regulations regarding their protection and hunting have increased the population over the coming decades. Missing in several states in Western Europe, bears found an ideal habitat in Romania, but their presence around human settlements has aroused controversy. In recent years, several Romanians have suffered from the meetings with bears.
Some of them were the tourists who “looked for” the mountain roads that cross their habitats and who approached them too much. Others were attacked in an attempt to defend their flocks or following unforeseen meetings.
“In areas where bears and people share the habitat, conflicts usually occur when bears have learned to hunt animals. Another important reason is to expand human settlements in bears and the availability of waste generated by human activity. All these activities make more and more people to move to the habitats.”shows the Wilderness-Society.org page, of a European animal protection association.
