In Hamburg, a woman was bitten and injured by a wolf, which authorities later captured, a spokesperson for the city’s environment authority confirmed on Tuesday, corroborating multiple German media reports. It is highly likely that the animal is the same wolf spotted several times in western Hamburg over the weekend.
According to the Bild newspaper, the woman sustained facial injuries in the incident on Monday evening, which reportedly took place in the Altona district. The wolf then allegedly fled through the city and jumped into the Alster river. Police officers were eventually able to catch it using a snare.
The animal was taken to a wildlife park and will first need to calm down, the head of the city hunters’ department told NDR.
Authorities reported that a wolf had already been sighted in the Blankenese area on Saturday, followed by further sightings near Othmarschen underground station on Sunday afternoon and later in the Nienstedten district. With the help of a video and a photo provided by the public, experts were able to identify the animal as a wolf without doubt.
The animal is most likely a juvenile in the phase of separating from its pack. Wolves typically cover vast distances in search of their own territory. According to the environment authority, the unfamiliar urban environment during the day causes the animal immense stress, as wolves generally avoid contact with humans and dogs. The authority added that the animal had wandered into the city by mistake and was itself looking for a way out.
Exactly how the woman came to be bitten is not yet known. Even before the incident, the wolf reportedly exhibited “strongly pronounced flight behaviour” and “withdrew immediately” whenever humans or dogs crossed its path.
Since 2013, wolf presence has been recorded in Hamburg a total of 21 times. Most recently, in mid-March, a wolf was found on the A25 motorway near the Curslack junction following a wildlife collision.
