8-Year-Old Airlifted After Wolf Attack Inside German Zoo Enclosure
The girl was hospitalized with serious injuries Wednesday morning during a children's event at Johannismühle Wildlife Park south of Berlin.
By Maya Morris ·
An 8-year-old girl was airlifted to a hospital Wednesday morning after a wolf attacked her inside an Arctic wolf enclosure at Johannismühle Wildlife Park, south of Berlin.
The child was in the enclosure with two other girls and a staff member when the attack occurred, police said. A zookeeper stepped in before the other two children were hurt. Police said the other girls appeared unharmed and that they are investigating the incident. The wildlife park was hosting a special event for children at the time, according to Teltow-Fläming district officials cited by the Associated Press.
The facility's website states the zoo is closed until at least November 2. The park lies south of the German capital.
Captive animal incidents have drawn attention in recent months. A zookeeper in the Netherlands died Tuesday, three days after a leopard attacked her at the safari park where she worked. Earlier this month, a man in the UK was killed by a tiger after entering a wildlife park enclosure, and in September a tiger handler linked to Joe Exotic was killed by a big cat at the Oklahoma preserve where he worked. A wolf bit a woman in a shopping area in Hamburg earlier this year, in what authorities told AP is believed to be the first such attack since wolves returned to Germany in 1998.
Police said their investigation of the Wednesday morning attack is ongoing.
Source: CNN
