Unexpected Wolf Attack Shakes Hamburg's Commercial Hub

Tue Mar 31 2026 17:20:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A woman was bitten by a wolf in Hamburg, igniting discussions on wildlife safety and urban life as the animal wanders through city streets.

In a bizarre incident in Hamburg, a woman was bitten by a disoriented wolf while attempting to guide it away from a shopping area. This unusual attack marks the first documented case of a wolf biting a human in Germany since their reintroduction into the country. The wolf was later captured by authorities after being spotted in a nearby lake.

A woman has been bitten by a wolf in a major shopping street in Hamburg, according to German authorities.

The highly unusual attack took place in the bustling Grosse Bergstrasse in Hamburg Altona, near an inner-city Ikea store on Monday evening.

The woman appears to have tried to lead the disoriented animal away from the shopping street. The wolf then bit the woman's face and ran off.

The woman was taken to hospital but has since been discharged.

It's believed to be the first time a person has been attacked by a wolf since the animals began to reestablish themselves in Germany decades ago.

There has not been a case like this since the reintroduction began in 1998, a spokeswoman for the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation told German press agency dpa.

The wolf was later spotted late on Monday night in the Binnenalster lake in Hamburg. Police managed to pull it out of the water with a rope, but the animal put up a fight, and police armed with shields are reported to have spent around an hour trying to catch it.

Matthias Hilge, a spokesperson from Hamburg's Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture, Bukea, told the BBC that there have been several sightings of the wolf in recent days in the west of the city. He said the wolf was in safety and being given veterinary care. Bukea will decide on the animal's future arrangements in the near future, following close consultation with experts, he said.

It was only after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that wolves began returning to Germany after 150 years of absence. Initially, a few animals returned via Poland and today wolves roam the forests of many German states.

Last week, Germany's Upper House, the Bundesrat, approved measures by Parliament to allow wolves to be hunted. Under the Federal Hunting law, it will now be possible to hunt wolves in order to manage their populations and protect sheep and other livestock.

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said wolves must be allowed to stay. It is not a question of driving the wolf away again, but of finding viable ways to live peacefully alongside it, he said.

Wolf hunting season is scheduled to run from 1 July to 31 October.