Suspected wolf bites jogger twice in Dutch National Park
A woman was bitten twice in the leg by what is believed to be a wolf while jogging in the Hoge Veluwe National Park on Sunday afternoon, Province Gelderland officials said.
She was running on a designated trail when the animal attacked. Bystanders intervened and chased the animal away. The woman was later taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries.
DNA samples have been collected to confirm whether a wolf was responsible. The test results are still pending.
“We are in discussions with the municipality of Ede and the Hoge Veluwe National Park, and we are preparing steps in case the same wolf displays this kind of behavior again,” the province of Gelderland said.
Similarly, in July 2024, a 5-year-old girl was reported bitten by a wolf at the Den Treek estate in Leusden, leading to a partial closure of the area for nearly a month. In September 2024, a pony was killed in a suspected wolf attack in Wekerom, a village in the Ede municipality.
Wolves returned to the Netherlands in 2015 after more than a century of absence and are protected under European law. However, some agricultural organizations and government officials have voiced concerns over the rapid increase in the wolf population. LTO Noord, for example, advocate for regulatory measures, including the potential culling of wolves that pose threats to livestock.
