Fence built around Utrecht playground after wolf attack; Province places warning signs
A fence was erected Monday around the playground and restaurant near the Pyramide van Austerlitz, days after a six-year-old boy was bitten in a suspected wolf attack, RTL reports. The province of Utrecht and nearby municipalities have placed warning signs and are urging the public to stay out of forest areas between the A12 and A28 highways.
The attack occurred last Wednesday, when the child was reportedly ambushed by a wolf that sprinted from the forest and jumped on him from a bench. His father told RTL Nieuws that bystanders had to drive the animal away with sticks. The boy sustained a deep bite wound along with injuries to his back, side, chest, and face. He was treated at a hospital and is now recovering.
The new fencing around the Speeltuin-Restaurant de Pyramide is not designed to stop wolves directly but to reassure visitors and prevent children from walking into the woods. "They’re starting now," the playground’s owner told RTL Monday morning. “The fence won’t really stop wolves, but it will stop kids from wandering into the forest.”
The owner, who requested not to be named, said the incident has led to a sharp decline in visitors. “It has huge consequences for our revenue,” he told the newspaper. “Yesterday was beautiful weather — normally it would’ve been a top day. We’ve had half as many people. We’re in the middle of our peak season.”
Local authorities are warning that the wolf may show “abnormal and concerning behavior.” In response, the province and the municipalities of Woudenberg and Leusden issued an official appeal on Friday for people to avoid the area’s forests and estates.
About ten digital matrix signs were placed Saturday along “logical access roads” to reinforce the message. The warning is only shown in Dutch due to limited space on the display boards, according to Woudenberg municipality. No further measures are currently planned.
Despite the warnings, some cyclists and hikers are reportedly still entering the area. Business owners, however, say they’ve already seen a significant drop in traffic. The playground’s owner also reported that scheduled visits by childcare organizations have been canceled. “Some people still come and ask questions — some nonsense, but also serious ones, like whether the area is still safe for children.”
The owner said he is not an expert but has been told that wolves are unlikely to enter the site due to the noise. “I sometimes walk into the forest to check that no child is in there. And sometimes foreign tourists show up who haven’t heard about it — we warn them.”
He added that he is already reviewing staff schedules. “If it stays this quiet, we might not need our summer workers.”
DNA testing is underway to confirm whether the attacker was a wolf. Experts believe it was likely the same male wolf involved in previous incidents. In response to earlier attacks, Utrecht province authorized the animal’s removal last month, but that culling has not yet taken place.
