An encounter between a man and a bear in Romania has gone viral after a video showed the animal approaching him from behind while he stood completely still. The bizarre footage shows the man standing motionless as a bear slowly emerged from bushes behind him in the Romanian mountains. The bear appeared to sniff his leg for a few moments before biting him. Throughout this, the man remained still, reported The Sun.
Dash-cam footage also shows the driver of a nearby car moving forward slowly in an apparent attempt to block the bear with the vehicle. However, the bear remained unfazed.
The video captured him running back towards his white car parked ahead, with his hands flailing in the air as he fled in panic.
A tourist in Romania had a terrifying close call after walking straight toward a bear while completely absorbed in his phone. He only realized the danger when the animal was standing just a few steps away. pic.twitter.com/m4Hk7RLnTC
— Kailash Vashi (@KailashVashi) July 30, 2026
The incident comes as tourists visiting Romania’s famous Transfagarasan highway have repeatedly been warned not to stop for or feed bears.
Authorities have advised visitors not to stop, not to feed the animals, and to avoid them completely.
They also warned that no matter how calm or cute the bears may appear by the roadside, they are wild animals and can be very dangerous, even deadly.
The warning follows a recent fatal bear attack on a motorcyclist along the scenic mountain highway. The victim had stopped at the tourist spot despite warning signs not to feed the bears. A bear attacked him and dragged him down a steep ravine, reported The Sun.
Romanian authorities continue to urge tourists driving through the area not to approach or feed bears. Last year, it was reported that Romania may have as many as 13,000 brown bears, a protected species in the European Union.
