NEED TO KNOW
Georgi Bizhev, 46, of Bulgaria, was traveling in his car through Romania’s “Bear Road” on May 27
A bear suddenly lunged and tried to grab Bizhev, leaving him with injuries
He later said it was a mistake to attempt to feed the animal, but maintained he did nothing wrong
A Bulgarian man said he had a frightening experience with a bear that attacked him in Romania while he was trying to feed it.
Georgi Bizhev, 46, chairman of the Sports and Technical Commission of the Zonal Council of the Bulgarian Football Union, said he was traveling to Hungary to attend a soccer match on May 27 when he reached an area known as “Bear Road,” Fakti.bg reported.
“My friend and I set off for Budapest to watch the Champions League final,” Bizhev said on The Day Begins show, per BNT News. “As we do every year, we travelled through the so-called Bear Pass, or the pass that is closest to the sky.”
He noted that the area is a popular tourist attraction.
“Everyone who goes through this pass goes there for one reason only – to see the bears,” Bizhev said, per BNT News.
Georgi Bizhev
Credit: Jam Press
He also claimed that locals encourage tourists to feed bears, and that there are even shops and businesses that sell food so visitors can feed the animals, per Faktk.bg.
He then detailed his run-in with a bear and a cub.
“In front of us there was a stopped vehicle and the people in it were feeding a bear and its cub,” he said, per BNT News. “We were the second car behind them, and behind us there was a vehicle with Ukrainian tourists.”
Bizhev said he was in his car while other tourists were filming nearby, noting that “The glass was closed and I felt safe,” Fakti.bg reported.
Bizhev also said he did not leave his vehicle or provoke the animal, alleging that the tourists behind him began shouting and honking, which escalated the situation.
A video grab of the moment a wild bear attacks a tourist in his car in Romania on May 27, 2026
Credit: Jam Press
The bear lunged toward Bizhev’s car, Radio Bulgaria reported, citing the Bulgarian News Agency.
“We saw how the glass of our car was like a sheet of paper to it,” Bizhev said, reported BNT News.
“Perhaps the fact that I was wearing a seatbelt saved me to some extent. It tried to grab me and pull me out of the vehicle,” he added.
Bizhev reportedly sustained bite injuries on his left arm and underwent surgery, according to Radio Bulgaria. He later said that he was in overall good health outside of his injuries, and that his recovery period is about three to four months, according to Fakti.bg
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He acknowledged that feeding the animal was a mistake, but added, per BNT News, “There is no one who goes there and does not feed the bears, which does not justify either me or the actions of the person I was with in feeding a wild animal, but we do not believe that we did anything wrong.”
PEOPLE contacted Bizhev through the Bulgarian Football Union on Friday, June 5, but did not receive an immediate comment.
Feeding bears is prohibited by Romanian authorities, and those who do face fines that can run between $2,200 and $6,600, Radio Bulgaria reported.
Read the original article on People