An 8-year-old girl was seriously injured after a wolf attacked her inside an animal enclosure at a wildlife park in Germany on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, police said. The child was airlifted to hospital after emergency treatment at the scene, and the park closed while authorities investigate how the incident happened.
The attack took place in the morning at Wildpark Johannismühle, a wildlife park in Baruth, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg, south of Berlin. Police said they were alerted at around 9:30 a.m. local time that a child had been attacked and injured by an animal at the park.
According to police, the girl was inside an animal enclosure with two other children and a member of park staff when she was attacked. The other two children and the staff member were not physically injured, reports said.
Key Takeaways
- An 8-year-old girl was seriously injured in a wolf attack inside an enclosure at Wildpark Johannismühle in Baruth, Germany, on October 28, 2026.
- Police said the girl was in the enclosure with two other children and a staff member, and she was airlifted to hospital after treatment at the scene.
- Police and the district administration are investigating how and why the children were inside the enclosure, and the park closed after the incident.
What police have said so far
Police initially described the animal only as at least one wild animal, without naming a species in their first statement. Later reports, citing police, identified the animal as a wolf. German media outlet BILD, which first reported the incident, said the girl suffered severe head injuries, and other reports described her condition as serious or critical.
Emergency crews treated the girl at the scene before a rescue helicopter flew her to a specialist trauma clinic in Berlin. Authorities have not publicly identified the child, and no further update on her condition had been released in the initial reports.
Police said the girl was in the enclosure with two other children and a staff member, and she was airlifted to hospital after treatment at the scene.
The park said it deeply regrets the incident and is cooperating fully with all authorities, according to reports. Reports also said support was being offered to park staff and emergency responders affected by the incident.
Questions investigators are trying to answer
The central question for investigators is how and why children came to be inside an enclosure holding wolves. Police and the Teltow-Fläming district administration have opened an investigation into the precise circumstances, including whether safety protocols were followed and whether any negligence played a role.
Reports said the incident happened before the park’s usual opening time for visitors, with one report noting that the park’s website lists a 10 a.m. opening time. Investigators are examining that timing as part of their inquiry, along with how access to the enclosure was arranged and supervised.
Wildpark Johannismühle is a privately operated park that houses grey and Arctic wolves, brown bears, lynx, deer and other animals. Reports citing German public broadcaster rbb said the park, which opened in 1997, covers more than 100 hectares and is home to around 500 animals across about 50 species.
- The attack happened at around 9:30 a.m. on October 28, 2026, at Wildpark Johannismühle in Baruth, Brandenburg.
- The girl was inside an enclosure with two other children and a staff member; the others were not physically injured.
- She was treated at the scene and airlifted to a specialist hospital in Berlin.
- Police and the district administration are investigating how the children came to be inside the enclosure.
- The park closed after the incident while the investigation continues.
A wider context for wildlife park safety
The incident has renewed attention on the safety rules that govern close contact with captive wild animals. Wildlife parks commonly keep wolves and other large animals behind fences and barriers, and direct access to enclosures is normally restricted to trained staff, with any visitor programmes tightly supervised.
Investigators in Baruth will now have to establish which rules applied on Wednesday morning, who authorised the children’s presence in the enclosure, and what barriers or supervision were in place. Those findings will matter not only for this case, but for other parks that run supervised animal encounters for children.
The attack also comes in a week of other serious incidents in Germany that have drawn a large emergency response, and it follows another recent German case in which authorities moved quickly to investigate an incident at a public attraction. In both kinds of case, the early official account is often incomplete, and details change as investigators gather evidence.
That caution applies here too. Early reports differed on some details, including the precise wording of the park’s closure notice and the exact description of the girl’s condition. Until police publish their findings, the confirmed facts remain limited: a child was seriously injured inside an enclosure, she was flown to hospital, and an investigation is under way.
What to Watch Next
Police and district officials are expected to provide further information as their investigation progresses, including how the children came to be inside the enclosure and whether any safety failures are identified. The park remains closed while that work continues, and any decision on reopening will depend on the authorities’ assessment. Further updates on the girl’s condition, if her family and hospital choose to share them, will also be closely watched.