July 16, 2024 at 8:52 PM Animals Wolf Barneveld Veluwe
LEUSDEN (ANP) The province of Utrecht is calling on people to temporarily avoid the Den Treek estate near Leusden. The reason is an incident with a suspected wolf, in which a child was involved.
On Tuesday morning, a child was slightly injured in the nature reserve. The management of following-school care Vrijland from Amersfoort, who were responsible for the child’s care at the time, says that it was probably caused by a wolf. The province now advises people to avoid a part of Den Treek.
WOLVES WITH CUBS The police are investigating the case. “Pending the results of the investigation and the advice of wolf experts, the province advises to avoid the nature reserve near Leusden for the time being,” the province said in a statement. “The wolf pair has cubs and therefore behaves very defensively towards dogs and people who come too close.”
SCRATCHES According to Vrijland, the incident happened in an open space near a parking lot on the Waterlooweg. There, “a wolf probably came at a child in a flash,” the organization reports. “The physical confrontation lasted very briefly, following which the animal disappeared into the forest.”
According to the shelter, an employee was nearby when the animal ran towards the child. The child sustained “very minor injuries (scrapes)” and was very shocked. After a visit to the family doctor, things are now going well under the circumstances, the following-school care says.
Vrijland has decided not to take the children to areas where the wolf has been spotted “until further notice”. “We will first seek advice from experts before we return to Den Treek.”