Video: Boy, 6, left with scratches, bite marks after suspected wolf attack
The 6-year-old boy who was attacked by a suspected wolf near the Pyramide van Austerlitz in Utrecht province on Wednesday sustained scratches, bite wounds, and abrasions on his back and under his armpit. He was immediately taken to the Utrecht Medical Center (UMC), where his injuries were cleaned and stitched, and he was discharged the same day, his parents told RTV Utrecht.
The boy was walking in the nature reserve with his mother, Nynke (41), and his little brother (3). Nynke saw the animal appear out of nowhere, sprint across the lawn, and jump on her son. The animal dragged the boy into the woods, where two men rescued the child by hitting the animal with sticks and chasing it away. Two women who saw the incident alerted the emergency services.
“We’re shocked by what happened, and we both have a sense of how lucky we were,” father Mike (40) told RTV Utrecht. The boy is somewhat quiet and doesn’t want to talk about what happened, but seems okay otherwise.
The family lives in the city of Utrecht and often goes for walks in the surrounding area. “We weren’t very familiar with the area, as it happened,” Nynke told the broadcaster. Her husband added that they didn’t go deep into the woods. “We know about previous incidents at Den Treek Estate,” Mike said. “But I didn’t know the Pyramide van Austerlitz was also part of it.”
To confirm whether it was a wolf that attacked the boy, the Regional Enforcement Agency (RUD) took DNA samples at the scene. If it does turn out to be the “problem wolf,” Mike would like to know why the animal hasn’t been shot yet. But the attack didn’t turn the couple against wolves in general. “We have to learn to live with the fact that there are wolves again,” Mike said.
Mayor Magda Jansen of the municipality of Woudenberg, which covers the Pyramide van Austerlitz, expressed support for the family and said she deeply sympathizes with the child.
The mayor has tightened the advice against going into the woods with children. “Please heed this advice. Do not go into the woods with children. As an adult, you should also be very alert when entering the woods. Stay on the paths, and, above all, do not go into the woods alone,” Jansen said.
