A 6-year-old boy is recovering after being attacked by a wolf during a visit to a nature reserve in the Netherlands.
The child had been exploring the Den Treek estate in Utrecht—about 32 miles south of Amsterdam—on Wednesday, July 30, with his mother and younger brother when the incident occurred, according to The Times and local outlet RTV Utrecht.
In a statement posted on its official website, the estate confirmed the boy was bitten and dragged into the woods by the animal.
“On Wednesday morning, July 30th, a child was bitten by a wolf (presumably Bram) and dragged into the woods,” the statement said. “The child was with several adults and other children in the woods near the Pyramid of Austerlitz. While playing, the child was unexpectedly attacked by the wolf and dragged away.”
Thanks to the swift intervention of nearby adults, who used a stick to fend off the animal, the wolf eventually released the boy and fled. “The child was taken away by ambulance,” the statement continued. “The victim’s condition is not yet known.”
As reported by The Times and RTV Utrecht, the boy sustained bite wounds that required stitches on his back and near his armpit. He also suffered additional scratches and abrasions.
Photographs shared with RTV Utrecht show significant scratches across the child’s back. He has since been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home.
“I thought it was a playful dog running towards us and thought, ‘Nice, I’ll go and play,’” the boy’s mother, Nynke, 41, told The Times. “But before I got there, I heard my eldest son screaming very loudly. He was jumped by the animal and dragged into the woods.”
Recalling the rescue, she added, “There were two men with big sticks who beat the animal and eventually they got it off my son. I was in a state of total panic and grief.”
Two women nearby quickly called emergency services, RTV Utrecht reported.
“I’m very happy that I wasn’t alone with my two children,” Nynke told The Times.
The boy’s father, Mike, who was not present during the attack, told RTV Utrecht, “It’s not like we were going for a walk deep in the woods where no one normally goes. We knew about previous incidents at the Den Treek Estate, but I didn’t know that the Pyramid of Austerlitz was also part of it.”
The area has seen other recent wolf encounters, including one where a young girl was bitten and another where a toddler was knocked over, according to The Times.
In response, estate officials have urged the public to avoid visiting the reserve with children and/or dogs “until the wildlife managers of the Utrecht Fauna Management Unit have completed their work.”
They also noted that a hiker was bitten by a wolf—believed to be Bram—on May 19, and that the same animal was involved in additional biting incidents throughout 2024.
Woudenberg Mayor Magda Jansen, whose municipality borders the estate, also issued a statement via RTV Utrecht, saying, “Please heed this advice. Do not enter the forest with children. As an adult, you must also be very alert when entering the forest. Stay on the paths and, above all, do not enter the forest alone.”
