Szekler Safari – Bears within arm’s reach

According to Tropical Magazine, in nearly all Székely jokes, or even on the most popular Romanian beer, we come across one of the country’s symbols, the Ursus arctos, or the brown bear. In our country, who doesn’t like the gentle, trudging animal, bearing absolutely no resemblance to Winnie the Pooh? On the other side of our Eastern border, especially in Szeklerland, however, their proliferation poses a serious problem.

The brown bear is Europe’s largest predator, with male specimens sometimes reaching a weight of 350 kilograms. According to the estimates of the year 2017, around 6800 bears inhabit Romania, the overwhelming majority of the bear population, approximately 5300 specimens, can be found in the counties of Hargita (Harghita), Kovászna (Covasna), Maros (Mures) or the neighboring one of Brassó (Brasov), all of which are part of Szeklerland (in Hungarian: Székelyföld). This is where they pose the greatest threat, too. Only last year 18 people were attacked by bears, and this year a dozen attacks have already been reported. The latest attack took place at the community college of Bálványos, where a 27-year-old man from Gyimes was bitten by a smaller specimen on the zeroth day of the schoolyear; fortunately, the young man was able to get off with but a few wounds from the frightening experience.

Of course, not everyone feels threatened by the large predators; some actually wish to observe their lifestyle from as close up as possible. Fortunately for them, the bear population of Székely Land has reached a decades-long high. And fear not! There is no need to spend several days in the forest to stumble upon well-developed specimens, as there are several companies who organize safe and comfortable bear sightings.

For lots of people, upon hearing the word ‘bear sighting’, their thoughts immediately go to a lash-up wooden construction, where one has to wait for hours, in the rain and in the freezing cold, while bugs bite them to death. In reality, however, there are so-called bear-watching stations.

These are sealed wooden houses which are suitable for longer stays, equipped with toilets, electricity, heating, HVAC, and beds. Their enormous windows are covered by a one-way mirror, which enables them to observe the bears in their natural habitat without the animals being aware of human presence. It is a bit like watching a movie on an enormous silver screen. Most places provide the customers with a guide as well, whose job is to explain what exactly they are seeing, and tells interesting stories about the way bears live and their habits. This can make bear-watching interesting – and of course, safe – for children as well. Some ambuscades await nature photographers in particular, who are thus enabled to be near nature for days at an end. Moreover, they host photography circles at night.