Romania's National Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to double fines for those who feed wild bears. This initiative is a response to tragic incidents caused by tourists' reckless desire to take selfies with brown bears near the famous Transfăgărășan highway.
To lure the animals closer for photos, tourists often feed them fruit. However, predators are not always content with a vegetarian diet and may attack the photographers themselves. The Romanian Ministry of Environment, Waters, and Forests, which delegates this responsibility to the National Environmental Protection Agency, is held accountable for injuries suffered by tourists. As a result, annual payouts to "victims" reach hundreds of thousands of euros.
To stop this harmful practice, the Romanian gendarmerie and the Road Management Authority will be involved. A 15-kilometer stretch of the high-mountain highway, popular among selfie-seeking tourists, will be under constant patrol.
If people are found feeding bears near parked cars, they will receive two fines: one for parking in a prohibited area and another for feeding wild animals. According to Romanian law, violations of these rules carry fines ranging from 100 to 300 euros.
