Child Critically Injured After Wolf Attack at German Wildlife Park

An eight-year-old girl is in critical condition after being attacked by a wolf at the Johannismühle wildlife park in Brandenburg, Germany. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning before the park had opened to visitors, according to German newspaper Bild.

Emergency services responded to the scene, and a rescue helicopter airlifted the child to a trauma center in Marzahn, Berlin. The girl is understood to have sustained a severe head injury. The cause of the attack and why the child was inside the enclosure remain unclear. However, Bild reports she may have been participating in a program that allows visitors to interact with and feed animals.

A police spokesperson confirmed that authorities received a report of an animal attack at 9:30 a.m. While the specific animal was not immediately identified, investigators were dispatched to the scene.

The Johannismühle wildlife park, located approximately 28 miles from Berlin, houses grey and polar wolves, as well as other animals like birds and wildcats. The park has closed for the day following the incident.

This event follows several recent animal-related incidents at wildlife parks. In the Netherlands, a zookeeper died after being mauled by a leopard at Safaripark Beekse Bergen earlier in the week. Separately, a man died in October after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK.