bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

A woman was bitten by a wolf in a shopping centre in the German city of Hamburg, the city’s deputy mayor said Tuesday, in the first such attack in modern times.
The wolf entered the complex in the northern city’s Altona area on Monday evening after being repeatedly spotted in different parts of Hamburg over several days, Katharina Fegebank told journalists.
The incident is the first of its kind since the species began returning to Germany almost 30 years ago, according to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.
According to the Bild daily, the woman was bitten on the face.
The wolf had previously been sighted on Saturday in the west of Hamburg and at other locations on Sunday morning and afternoon, according to the local environment agency.
Fegebank said that “until yesterday evening the wolf had shown typical behaviour for a wild animal and had avoided human contact”.

She said it was not clear why the wolf had entered the shopping centre, suggesting that “the confined space and proximity to people led to a situation of extreme stress” for the animal.
The wolf has since been captured by police and taken to a wildlife park. Fegebank said that “we will find a solution for the wolf very quickly”.
The animal is most likely to be a cub that was in the process of leaving its pack, according to experts.
Wolves were effectively wiped out in Germany by the mid-19th century, largely due to persecution, bounties and habitat loss.
However, wolves migrating from Poland began settling again in eastern Germany after reunification, when stronger wildlife protections were introduced.
An official study last year recorded 219 packs of wolves across the country, as well as 43 wolf pairs and 14 lone wolves.
The German government in December backed legislation that would allow regular hunting of wolves to manage populations in areas with large packs.


Wolf bites woman on the face at German shopping centre, in first such attack in decades

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

European countries appeal to Israel to abandon plans to revive death penalty

Man charged in Germany after fatal stabbing of his 13-year-old son

Germany

A wolf is seen in an enclosure in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Wolves were effectively wiped out in Germany but started returning about 30 years ago. Photo: dpa

Pedestrians walk through a shopping arcade in Hamburg on Tuesday, a day after a wolf injured a woman. Photo: dpa

In Japan, rise in bear attacks spurs demand for robot wolf, AI cameras

The Monster Wolf robot emits LED light and loud sounds to scare off wild animals when activated. Photo: Kyodo

A bear outside a nursery school in Hanamaki, Iwate prefecture, Japan, while around 40 children were inside in October. Photo: AFP

Japan Ground Self-Defence Force members set up a box trap to capture bears in Kazuno, Akita prefecture last month. Photo: AP

Australia warns of dingo attacks after tourist’s bum bitten: ‘would you let a wolf walk around you?’

The dingo can be seen biting the woman’s rear in this still from the video. Photo: Queensland Environment Department Handout

A dingo with blood on its face pictured on K’gari, or Fraser Island. The canines, also known by their indigenous name “wongari”, can weigh up to 23kg. Photo: Queensland Environment Department Handout

In footage of the attack released by Australian authorities, the French tourist can be seen trying to get away from the dingo as it lunges at her rear end. Photo: Queensland Environment Department Handout

Japan bear intrusions driven by fruit, not hunger, study finds

Two bears walking down the street in Shari town in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Photo: AFP

A bear captured in a box trap in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan. Photo: Shimane Prefecture Mountainous Region Research Centre/Kyodo

A bear warning sign stands at Senshu Park in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, where recent sightings led to restricted access in November 2025. Photo: EPA

Two bears walking down the street in Shari town in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido in 2010. Photo: AFP

A bear moves from a riverbank towards a residential area in central Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in October 2025. Photo: Kyodo

News

World

Europe

The animal, which had previously avoided humans, was captured and taken to a wildlife park


The animal, which had previously avoided humans, was captured and taken to a wildlife park.


Animals

Conservation

Wolf bites woman on the face at German shopping centre, in first such attack in decades

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The animal, which had previously avoided humans, was captured and taken to a wildlife park

The animal, which had previously avoided humans, was captured and taken to a wildlife park