Eight-Year-Old Girl Seriously Injured in Wolf Attack at German Wildlife Park

An eight-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital after suffering serious head injuries in a wolf attack at a German wildlife park on Wednesday.

The child was inside an enclosure at the Johannismühle wildlife park in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, when she was attacked by at least one animal. Police confirmed she was accompanied by a park staff member and two other children at the time of the incident. No one else was hurt.

Regarding the cause of the attack, police released a statement saying that the "precise circumstances of the incident are the subject of an ongoing police investigation.”

Local media reports indicate that the incident occurred before the park's official opening time of 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT), suggesting that the girl may have been participating in a specialized visit. Johannismühle advertises exclusive, small-group tours that allow guests to interact closely with wildlife, including opportunities to feed wolves or pet llamas. In addition to grey and arctic wolves, the sanctuary houses lynxes and brown bears.

Following the attack, management temporarily shut down operations. The park's official website indicates it plans to reopen to visitors on November 2nd.

The event marks the latest in a series of severe animal incidents across European facilities in recent weeks. A zookeeper in the Netherlands died this week following a leopard attack at the Beekse Bergen safari park, while a 24-year-old man was killed earlier this month after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the United Kingdom.