Overview

• A 6-year-old boy was bitten and dragged into the woods by a wolf at Den Treek nature reserve on July 30
• Adults present repelled the animal with sticks and the child, who received stitches for bite wounds and abrasions, has been discharged home
• Estate officials have warned against entering the reserve with children or dogs until the Utrecht Fauna Management Unit completes its risk assessment
• Wolf populations have returned to the Netherlands under EU Bern Convention protections, triggering a rise in human encounters and livestock attacks
• A Utrecht court has authorized lethal removal of the suspected rogue wolf, identified locally as Bram (GW3237m), citing a severe threat to public safety