Child ‘is mauled by wolf’ at German wildlife park
An eight-year-old girl was reportedly mauled by a wolf at Johannismühle wildlife park in Brandenburg, Germany, and is in critical condition. The incident raises questions about how she came to be inside the enclosure; the park was closed while investigators attended.
Emergency services received a report at 9.30am on Wednesday, and a helicopter took the girl to a trauma centre in Berlin’s Marzahn district. Bild reported that she may have been taking part in a programme in which visitors feed animals while pretending to be zookeepers. Police did not confirm what animal was involved, and the circumstances remain under investigation.
In short
- Girl, eight, is in critical condition after an attack at a German wildlife park.
- A helicopter took her to a Berlin trauma centre.
- Investigators are examining how she entered the enclosure.
Explained simply
Johannismühle is a wildlife park in Brandenburg, a state in eastern Germany. Unlike a conventional zoo, wildlife parks often keep animals in larger enclosures, and visitors may take part in supervised activities involving them.
Wolves are wild predators, so parks set rules and barriers to keep visitors and animals apart. The key questions are how the child came to be inside the enclosure and what supervision or safety measures applied; investigators are examining the circumstances.