In just three hours on a sunny morning on Romania's scenic Transfagarasan mountain road, at least 20 brown bears emerged from the forest and approached motorists who had stopped to feed them and take selfies.

The motorists ignored signs along the hairpin bends of the road which cuts through the Carpathian mountains warning visitors that feeding the animals is illegal and punishable by hefty fines.

The scene illustrates a growing challenge for Romanian authorities, who are struggling to enforce rules to keep residents and tourists safe from attacks while controlling Europe's largest brown bear population outside Russia.

Romania's environment ministry estimates the country is home to 10,000 to 13,000 brown bears, based on a preliminary multi-year DNA study.

Encounters between the bears and humans have become increasingly common in mountain communities as urban expansion and climate change shrink and fragment natural habitats, with the animals now accustomed to entering towns and cities in search of food.

Some have been deadly. Nearly 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the last two decades, the environment ministry said.

For residents like 59-year-old Jean Stangaciu in the mountain town of Predeal in central Romania, the bears have become a regular presence and threat.

"The bear comes almost every evening," he said, describing visits to rubbish containers near his home. "We already don't go out into town in the evening."

In an effort to avoid further attacks and control the bear population, lawmakers in April doubled the European Union state's annual hunting quota for this year and next to nearly 900, drawing sharp criticism from wildlife experts and conservationists.

Critics say the move fails to address the problem of bears encroaching onto residential property as hunters will likely seek large trophy animals deep in the forest rather than mothers and cubs entering towns seeking food.

"Hunting won't happen where bears come to the roadside, on the Transfagarasan," said Cristina Lapis of the Libearty Sanctuary, which hosts 140 bears that were either orphaned or rescued from owners who kept them as roadside attractions.

From 2021, town and city authorities also have the power to shoot bears that break into people's gardens and houses.

Ciprian Galusca of the Climate Adaptation Platform Association said some of the existing non-lethal rules to prevent bears from entering towns — including fines for feeding the animals, waste management rules and subsidies for electric fencing — were not being properly enforced.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

TRANSFAGARASAN, ROMANIA (JULY 29, 2026) (REUTERS-Access all)

1. BEARS APPROACHING CAR ON ROAD

2. BEAR WALKING BY ROAD

3. BEAR HIDING IN BUSHES

4. BEAR WALKING NEXT TO CARS

5. BEAR SITTING BY ROAD

6. BEARS BY ROAD

7. BEAR APPROACHING CAR

8. SIGN WARNING NOT TO FEED BEARS

9. MAN WATCHING BEAR FROM HIS CAR

PREDEAL, ROMANIA (JULY 30, 2026) (REUTERS-Access all)

10. VIEW OF BUILDINGS

11. (SOUNDBITE)(Romanian) 59-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, JEAN STANGACIU, SAYING:

“Well, the bear comes almost every evening, usually, to the garbage containers. They got used to us, to the people who live here, the residents. They are not afraid of anything.”

12. VARIOUS OF ELECTRIC WIRE ON FENCES

13. OUTDOOR TRASH CANS

ZARNESTI, ROMANIA (JULY 29, 2026) (REUTERS-Access all)

14. VARIOUS OF RESCUED BEARS AT LIBEARTY BEAR SANCTUARY

15. (SOUNDBITE)(Romanian) DIRECTOR OF MILLION OF FRIENDS ASSOCIATION AT LIBEARTY BEAR SANCTUARY, CRISTINA LAPIS, SAYING:

“The new law will not solve the problem. This conflict between people and bears will not be resolved through the hunting law. First of all, because the hunting will not be done where bears are coming onto roadsides on Transfagarasan Road. Hunters will want to go into the forest to take trophy bears like the bear Arthur.”

16. BEAR SITTING ON TREE

17. VARIOUS OF BEARS AT SANCTUARY

18. (SOUNDBITE)(Romanian) DIRECTOR OF MILLION OF FRIENDS ASSOCIATION AT LIBEARTY BEAR SANCTUARY, CRISTINA LAPIS, SAYING:

“This is the first time bears are leaving Romania, and, of course, people leave, bears leave, but that is not our goal. Our goal is to keep them here and to create the conditions for people and bears to live together in harmony.”

19. VISITORS WATCHING BEARS AT SANCTUARY

20. BEAR COOLING OFF IN POND

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS-Access all)

21. (SOUNDBITE)(Romanian) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLATFORM

ASSOCIATION, CIPRIAN GALUSCA, SAYING:

“And more than that, we need to understand that, at present, the way we interact with wildlife is what creates this conflict. We need to change certain behaviours within the communities that live in these areas that are vulnerable to this type of risk, and we therefore have a responsibility. Even if there were only three bears left in the forest, if we do not change the way we interact with them, we would still continue to have problems with those three bears.”

ZARNESTI, ROMANIA (JULY 29, 2026) (REUTERS-Access all)

22. BEAR IN CAGE BEFORE BEING SENT OFF TO PARK IN FRANCE