A six-year-old child is taken by a wolf in a Dutch woodland and pulled into the undergrowth; only his parents’ heroic rescue saves him. Authorities increase the alarm, and suspicions about the “problem wolf Bram” intensify.
A seemingly quiet Wednesday morning near Austerlitz’s Pyramid ended in misery. A wolf seized a six-year-old child while he was playing in the woods and pulled him into the undergrowth.
His parents were just a few meters away, helplessly witnessing their kid being mauled by the animal. The youngster was only released after a frantic intervention with branches and loud screaming.
The boy suffered multiple bite wounds on his back and under his armpit. An ambulance took him to Utrecht University Hospital, where he received medical treatment and was released the same day.
The mother later described the dramatic moment. She thought it was a dog until her son’s panicked scream changed everything. The father spoke of a “moment of shock” that he will never forget.
Authorities suspect the animal is the wolf nicknamed “Bram,” a solitary wolf that has attracted attention several times and has lived in the region since 2023. Sightings have been documented repeatedly in residential areas, and it has attacked livestock on several occasions.
Experts believe that the animal has lost its natural shyness due to a lack of deterrent measures. A permit to shoot it has been in place for weeks, but so far, it has gone unheeded.
Following the incident, Woudenberg’s mayor, Magda Jansen, issued a public warning. In an impassioned message, she described a “new dimension of threat” and asked the public to avoid vulnerable forest regions for the time being.
The province of Utrecht issued an immediate midnight ban. Additionally, advice on how to react in the case of a wolf encounter were published; nonetheless, many parents doubt if this is sufficient.
The fate of the wolf is still unknown. DNA samples are now anticipated to offer confidence. The public is divided: while conservationists urge calm, many people are becoming increasingly worried. This tragedy has added urgency to the discussion over how to deal with returnees like the wolf.
