Girl seriously injured in wolf attack at German wildlife park
The eight-year-old was in an enclosure with other children and a staff member when she was attacked.
Girl badly hurt in wolf attack at German wildlife park
An eight-year-old girl was seriously injured in a wolf attack at a German wildlife park.
Police said she was inside an enclosure at Johannismühle park in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, with a staff member and two other children when the attack took place.
In a statement, they said the "precise circumstances of the incident are the subject of an ongoing police investigation".
After the incident on Wednesday, the girl was flown to hospital by helicopter. No one else was hurt.
According to the park’s website, the site in the town of Baruth/Mark has been closed temporarily and is due to reopen on 2 November, though it gave no further details.
The park houses grey and arctic wolves, as well as other animals including a brown bear and a lynx.
German newspaper Bild said the girl was injured by at least one animal and suffered head injuries.
It reported that the incident happened before the park opened at 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT) and that the girl may have been taking part in a special visit.
Johannismühle offers small-group tours that let visitors spend time with some animals, and its website mentions feeding wolves or petting a llama.
The incident follows a series of other animal attacks at zoos and wildlife parks in Europe.
A keeper at a Dutch zoo died this week after being mauled by a leopard, and a man was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park earlier this month.