Forester found seriously injured in Romanian hunting complex, possible stag attack probed

Discovery in the hunting complex

The forester, a 50-year-old employee of Romsilva, the National Forest Administration, was found inside a hunting complex managed by the Șomcuta Mare forestry district in Maramureș county. Romsilva says he had worked for the company since 2017, and Mediafax reports he had been a forester for almost a decade. He left home after 18:00 on Thursday, 15 October, to patrol a perimeter of about 520 hectares. He was due to meet the hunting master so the two could check the area together. When he could not be reached by phone and did not turn up, colleagues began searching and informed the head of the forestry district. He was found around 21:00 with serious injuries, and the incident was reported at once to the 112 emergency line and to the labour inspectorate.

A possible deer attack under investigation

Romsilva's statement names one of the first hypotheses under review: an attack by a deer. The statement links the theory to the rutting season, a period in which male deer can be more aggressive, and says it still has to be verified in the investigation. Police opened a criminal case for involuntary manslaughter to establish the exact circumstances of the death. The statement says the circumstances are being examined by the competent authorities.

One of the first hypotheses considered is a possible attack by a deer during the rutting season, when males can behave especially aggressively.

Statement and next steps

Romsilva published its statement on its Facebook page on Friday, 16 October, expressing deep regret over the death of its colleague and offering condolences to the family and to everyone who knew him. The labour inspectorate has been notified, and an inquiry is under way to establish all the details of the incident. The reports available so far do not establish how the injuries were caused, and the deer hypothesis remains to be checked.