Eight-year-old girl mauled by wolf during German zoo visit as two other children narrowly escape

A family day out at a wildlife park in Germany turned into a terrifying ordeal after an eight-year-old girl was seriously injured in an attack by a wolf inside its enclosure.

The child was visiting Johannismühle Wildlife Park, south of Berlin, when the incident happened on Wednesday, October 28, during a special event organised for children.

She was reportedly attacked by at least one wolf while inside an enclosure housing Arctic wolves, leaving her with injuries serious enough to require an emergency helicopter transfer to hospital.

Two other young girls who were also inside the enclosure narrowly avoided being attacked, after a zookeeper intervened.

Children caught up in wolf attack

The incident took place at the wildlife park in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg, according to local authorities.

The three children had been inside the Arctic wolf enclosure when the attack happened. At the time, the animals had reportedly been given water.

It is not yet clear what prompted the wolf to attack the eight-year-old, or whether more than one animal was involved.

District officials confirmed that the girl had suffered serious injuries and was flown to hospital for treatment.

The intervention of a member of the zoo’s staff prevented the situation from escalating further, with the two other children escaping without being attacked.

Zoo closed as investigation begins

Johannismühle Wildlife Park has been closed to visitors until further notice while authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The attack has also raised fresh questions about the risks associated with interactions between people and wild animals in captive environments.

Although wolf attacks on humans are considered rare, the incident comes after another reported encounter earlier this year.

A wolf bit a woman in a shopping area in Hamburg, northern Germany, in what authorities believe was the first such attack since wolves returned to the country in 1998.

Wolves had previously disappeared from much of Germany before gradually returning, with their population becoming an increasingly prominent subject of debate.

However, the latest incident has brought the potential dangers into sharp focus, particularly where children and wild animals are concerned.

Authorities have yet to release further details about the girl’s condition or explain what led to the attack.