German Zoo Wolf Attack Marks 2nd Known Human Bite Since 1998

An 8-year-old girl suffered serious injuries after at least one Arctic wolf attacked her inside an enclosure at the Johannismühle Wildlife Park south of Berlin on Wednesday, according to a news release from Teltow-Fläming district officials cited by The Associated Press. The incident, which happened during a special event for children, is only the second documented case of a wolf biting a person in Germany since the species returned to the country in 1998, per the AP's reporting.

What happened during the children's event at the park?

The attack took place while the Arctic wolves were being given water inside their enclosure, district officials said, according to the AP. A zookeeper intervened before two other girls who were also inside the enclosure could be attacked, the release said. The girl was flown to the hospital, officials said.

How many wolf attacks on humans has Germany recorded since 1998?

Two. The AP reports a wolf bit a woman in a Hamburg shopping area earlier this year — the first confirmed attack since wolves resettled in Germany in 1998 — making Wednesday's zoo incident the second instance of a wolf biting a human in the 28 years since the species' return. That is a rate of roughly one confirmed human-bite incident every 14 years across nearly three decades of wolf presence in the country, based on the two cases cited in AP's reporting.

A zookeeper intervened before two other girls also in the Arctic wolf enclosure were attacked.

What is the difference between the Hamburg and Johannismühle incidents?

The Hamburg bite involved a wild wolf encountering a woman in an urban shopping area, per the AP. Wednesday's attack occurred inside a managed zoo enclosure during a scheduled children's event, with the animals in captivity rather than roaming free. Both cases are grouped by the AP as the only known wolf-on-human bite incidents since Germany's wolf population reestablished itself in 1998.

What happens to the zoo now?

The Johannismühle Wildlife Park is closed until further notice while an investigation proceeds, the Teltow-Fläming district said, according to the AP. The park has cordoned off its entrance with barrier tape, as shown in AP photography from the site Wednesday. No timeline for reopening has been released.

Timeline of Germany's wolf-human bite incidents

• 1998: Wolves return to Germany after decades of absence, per the AP's background reporting.
• Earlier in 2026: A wolf bites a woman in a Hamburg shopping area — the first confirmed bite since the 1998 return, the AP reports.
• Oct. 28, 2026: An 8-year-old girl is attacked by at least one Arctic wolf inside the Johannismühle Wildlife Park enclosure during a children's event; a zookeeper intervenes before two other girls are attacked, according to Teltow-Fläming district officials.
• Oct. 29, 2026: The AP publishes details of the attack and the park's closure; the girl's condition following hospital transport has not been further detailed in the release cited by the AP.

The case remains under investigation, and no additional figures on the girl's condition or the wolves' fate have been released beyond what Teltow-Fläming district officials disclosed to the AP.