The Retezat Mountains provide an ideal habitat for bears, but the danger posed by wild animals to tourists climbing the mountain trails is lower. Here, the bears are still wild and avoid tourist areas.
Bear in Retezat National Park. Photo: Claudia Danau. Retezat National Park / Facebook
The Retezat National Park occupies an area of about 40,000 hectares where the remains of the ice age, which shaped the alpine relief of the massif, have been well preserved.
In the Retezat Mountains, tourists find a wild expanse of forests and bee meadows, crowned with the sharp granite ridges of the peaks and adorned with dozens of glacial lakes.
The waters and snows give shine to the gray glacial cirques, with steep slopes, covered with gravel, also formed by the melting of the glaciers.
The only place in the Retezat National Park that is not accessible to tourists is the Gemenele Scientific Reserve, which comprises almost 2,000 hectares in the central area of the massif and is surrounded by a “buffer” zone of over 11,000 hectares of forests.
Visitor access has been prohibited here since the mid-1950s, and grazing and logging have been stopped to ensure the protection of nature in the wildest part of the Retezat.
“In the reservation, a strict protection regime is ensured, whereby the habitats are preserved in their natural state, only scientific activities being allowed (other human activities being prohibited), with the consent of the Retezat National Park Administration. Here live many of the 1,190 species of higher plants in Retezat, left to develop freely in their natural habitat”said the administration of Retezat National Park.
Outside the Gemenele reserve, tourists who want to explore the Retezat Mountains can reach almost all the places in the national park on the almost 30 tourist routes arranged and marked in Retezat.
In winter, some of the tourist routes become inaccessible to tourists, due to the weather, the snow that covers them, the difficult access to them and the long time they can be traveled.
In the summer months, the tourist routes in Retezat are crowded with travelers again. In the absence of snow, frost and in more friendly weather, the danger of injury is reduced, but tourists must remain cautious.
Some routes are difficult, and untrained tourists and those who do not equip themselves properly can be victims of accidents on the mountain.
The bears from Retezat feel at home
More than 50 species of wild animals live in the Retezat National Park, but the animal whose presence most often concerns tourists interested in exploring the mountains is the bear.
In the 19th century, the Retezat mountains were hunting destinations of the Austro-Hungarian nobility, and later they became hunting grounds frequented by the Romanian royal family and then by numerous communist leaders.
In past years, the number of bears in Retezat was estimated at 30 – 40 specimens (video – Claudia Danău, biologist, Retezat National Park).
“The existence of the bear population proves that the other animal species in the bear’s habitats are also maintained in a good state of conservation. Large carnivores, at the top of the food pyramid, are key elements in the ecological relationships that govern the natural setting and living proof of a healthy ecosystem“, the rangers from the Retezat National Park show.
In the last decade, bear attacks in Retezat were sporadic, and their targets were the flocks of sheep brought by shepherds to the alpine pastures of the massif. In 2014, almost 400 sheep were killed in a fold in Retezat, after being attacked by bears.
In the Drăgșan area, where there were several herds, about 7 – 8 bears were attracted by the prey, and during an attack, the frightened herd rushed towards the nearby precipice. Tourists were then warned to avoid the area as the bears continued to prowl the sheds and carcasses scattered in the ravine.
Also in 2014, a shepherd who tried to defend his flock he was taking care of near Zănoaga lake in Retezat was attacked by a bear. The man was bitten on the face and a leg was torn off, but he survived the encounter with the wild animal.
Three years later, a young shepherd went through a similar experience, in the same area of Lake Zănoaga.
During the night, hearing noises in the fold, the young man went towards the sheep with a lighted flashlight, and was taken by surprise by the bear, disturbed by the bright light. The animal attacked him, and the victim was bitten and scratched. The most serious injuries were inflicted on the calf of his leg.
In recent years, bears have been seen less frequently in the Retezat Mountains, by tourists climbing the marked mountain trails. Some reported seeing their tracks, but did not have the opportunity to meet them face to face. Bears avoid groups of tourists.
“Here the bears are still wild and avoid areas visited by tourists (with the exception of dens). But you have to be careful and follow the rules of the area. Prevention, the mother of wisdom”informs Retezat National Park.
Bears have been captured in images several times in the forests of Retezat, but according to the representatives of the reserve, in the Retezat National Park there have been no cases of conflict between tourists and bears, nor of tourists’ belongings torn by bears.
“Only with your help, we will manage to keep Retezat without garbage bears. For everyone’s safety, stay on marked trails and camp only in permitted areas. It is very important that packaging, food and food waste be removed from the Retezat National Park. We want the bears to stay away from humans, as before, not to come near humans in the hope of finding food. You know in other places this happens”the rangers informed (video – Retezat National Park).
Therefore, most tourist routes in Retezat are safe in terms of bear attacks.
Vipers, the summer fear of tourists
In recent years, vipers have made their presence felt in several places in the Retezat National Park, and sometimes they have caused victims. The most recent of them was a 27-year-old student who was carrying out research activities in the Gemenele Scientific Reserve in the Retezat National Park.
Viper in Retezat. Photo: Retezat National Park / Facebook. Claudia Danau
He was bitten by a viper, on the ankle, and was in danger of losing his life, because of the bite, but also because he was in an area where the access of rescuers was extremely difficult. Several shepherds and tourists also suffered, entering the vipers’ territory unprotected.
Just as bears can be driven away by human noise, vipers can also be driven away by tourists.
“Wear mountain boots, even if the ambient temperature is high. Always carry out a visual check of the area where you are going to step. Do not pick up large rocks until you have first visually checked underneath for snakes. If you enter an area with tall vegetation that prevents you from checking the ground surface, tap the vegetation lightly with a stick and the snake will run out of your way”, are the recommendations of the Hunedoara Public Health Directorate.
Lightning strikes in Retezat caused victims
Electric shocks are also among the risks assumed by those who choose to travel, in the summer, on mountain trails.
In Retezat, in recent years, lightning has caused several victims. The most famous case was of some German tourists who in 2016 climbed the Retezat Peak, but were surprised by a storm.
“When they saw that the storm was coming, they started to descend. Unfortunately, a bolt of lightning struck near the woman, she suffered burns to her face and her right leg and left hand were affected. The man was in a state of shock,” informs Salvamont Hunedoara.
Another young woman was struck by lightning while she was in the camping area of Lake Bucura in Retezat.
Over 200 sheep also died during a storm with electrical discharges in Retezat. During storms, the risk of accidents on the mountain is much higher and due to the danger of slipping on rocks, so tourists must take precautions and take into account that the weather on the mountain is changeable in small intervals of time.
Tips to protect ourselves from lightning
Do not ignore the weather forecast, mountain rescuers show. Regardless of the route you’re going to take, whether it’s a ridge area or not, check the forecast and don’t venture out if strong storms are announced.
Sheep killed by lightning in Retezat. Rescue Hunedoara
Recognize the first signs of the storm. Some storms can form locally, quickly, and are not always predicted by radar applications. Cumulonimbus clouds, with high heights and well-defined edges, are thunderstorm generators. If you see such clouds heading towards you, it’s time to head for the safer base area.
Do not park on top, ridge or flat, exposed areas; if you are already surprised by the storm then you must know that the middle area of the ridges is less dangerous than its extremities.
Do not park near water, lakes, tall posts or with markings. Do not camp under tall or solitary trees; if you are already in the forest then choose to park between the clumps of smaller trees and not next to the tall trees, says Salvamont Salvaspeo Bihor.
If there is no time left to descend to a safer area and the lightning is already all around you, quickly orient yourself and find a small rise or platform dominated by a neighboring high point and crouch to the a little one meter away from that point (which is indicated to be about 5-10 times higher than your crouching position), is another recommendation of mountain rescuers, to reduce the risk of being struck by lightning on the mountain.
