A Scottish tourist was mauled Monday after rolling down her window to try and take a selfie with a bear, STV News reported.
Moira Gallacher, 72, was vacationing with her friend Charmian Widdowson in Romania and decided to drive through the Carpathian Mountains, where they came across two bears, according to STV News.
“What happened was the bear came up to the window at my, my friend’s side, and no problem. It let us take a picture and went away,” Gallacher told the outlet, a video showed. “But I didn’t get a proper picture, so we went back and it was at my side.”
Widdowson told the outlet she parked the car in order to get a better photo of the bears, a mother and her cub. “I thought he wanted to be friends,” she reportedly said. “The bear came and wanted to get into the car, but he started getting into the car and bit my friend.”
The 72-year-old was rushed to a local hospital, STV reported. She was treated for a bite on her right hand, Curtea de Arges Municipal Hospital official Andreena Gheordunescu told the outlet. (RELATED: Video Shows Idiots Mishandle Bear Cubs For Apparent Selfies).
“I was wearing a padded jacket and a top and another top — that’s what saved my arm. I’ve been very, very lucky,” Gallacher told STV. “The shock has set in today, but everything’s ok now.”
Scottish tourist mauled by bear through car window in Romania. https://t.co/M0AI6538VQ pic.twitter.com/nL9SFzgGkS
— STV News (@STVNews) April 23, 2024
“We saw these bears — a mummy bear, and a baby — they were gorgeous,” Widdowson told the outlet. “But they weren’t gorgeous. The mummy bear was hungry, and thought my friend was going to be lunch.”
The woman told the outlet she thought their conversation about food may have led to the attack. “My friend said, let’s get something to eat,” she reportedly said. “No, you are not allowed to give food. Absolutely nothing, nothing, nothing. And I think he heard it and decided he had to eat my friend instead.”
Gallacher told STV she anticipated being released from the hospital Wednesday.