Berlin– A wolf bit a woman in a shopping area before being pulled out of a lake in Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city, authorities said, in what is believed to be the first such attack since wolves returned to the country in 1998.
The fire service said the woman was taken to a Hamburg hospital after the unusual encounter on Monday evening, German news agency dpa reported. There was no immediate information on her condition Tuesday, and police did not say where she was cut. It is also not clear what caused the attack.
The attack occurred in a shopping area near Altona station, west of the city centre. Late Monday evening, police said, officers pulled the wolf out of Lake Binnenalster in downtown Hamburg after they were warned of sightings of the animal there and in other locations. Local media reported that it was taken to an enclosure on the outskirts of the city.
Authorities believe it is likely the wolf involved was the same one seen in Blankenese, an outer suburb of the city, over the weekend. Experts believe that this animal is a young wolf that is looking for its territory and accidentally wandered into the city. Hamburg’s regional government said wolves generally avoid contact with people and dogs, and the unusual urban environment would be too stressful.
Germany’s Federal Agency for Nature Conservation said it was the first time a person had been attacked by a wild wolf since the animals reappeared in the country after a 150-year absence about 30 years ago, DPA reports.
However, wolf attacks on livestock in Europe have been a concern for farmers for years. Last year, the European Parliament voted change position of wolves From “strictly protected” to “protected”.
Last week, the German parliament gave final approval to legislation that would make it easier to shoot wolves that kill or injure cattle.
