A pensioner who was attacked by a brown bear in the Romanian mountains claims her Marks & Spencer coat "saved her life".
Moira Gallacher was visiting the country with friend Charmian Widdowson when they came across the predators - thought to be a mother with its cub. The 72-year-old from West Lothian said the situation quickly escalated into a dangerous one as the mother bear turned on her as she tried to take a photo.
"The mummy bear was hungry, and thought my friend was going to be lunch," Charmaine said. "She was wearing a thick Marks and Spencer jacket and the poor bear got more jacket than arm."
Moira was rushed to hospital after being attacked on the Transfăgărășan mountain road in Argeş County, and is still there, although is hoping to soon be discharged. Speaking to STV news, she said she felt like "a very lucky woman".
The bears approached Moira and Charmian in their car (No credit)"I was wearing a padded jacket and a top and another top that's what saved my arm. I've been very, very lucky. The shock has set in today, but everything's ok now," she said, as reported by Edinburgh Live.
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Speaking to Romanian media in the aftermath, Moira explained her arm was still incredibly sore after being mauled, saying: "We were in the car and we were going to take a picture. And the bears came up to the window.”
Romania boasts the largest population of European brown bears on the continent. The formidable beasts are Central Europe's biggest land predators, with some males reaching over 7ft (2.2m) tall and tipping the scales at around 350kg.
Not only are the bears huge, they're also known for being incredibly swift and capable of hitting speeds up to 30mph, as well as being adept climbers to boot. An estimated 8,000 brown bears roam wild in Romania, primarily in the Carpathian Mountains.
In the last seven years, there have been 14 fatal encounters and over 150 bear attacks on humans.
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