Visitors avoid nature area after “problem wolf” bites child

Business owners near Austerlitz are worried about their futures after several municipalities have advised against visiting the Utrechtse Heuvelrug area after a wolf attacked passers-by.

“Mijd Bos Utrechtse Heuvelrug” (Avoid Forest Utrechtse Heuvelrug) is displayed on road signs. “The communication is so intense that we’re completely avoided,” Maaike Houtkamp, manager at restaurant ‘t Lanshuys, told national broadcaster NOS.

On Friday, the city of Utrecht confirmed that a six-year-old boy had been bitten by a wolf in July at the Pyramid of Austerlitz in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. The child was taken to the hospital by ambulance after suffering serious injuries.

DNA testing showed that the wolf in question had been responsible for several other attacks on people in the last 18 months.

The province had already issued a permit to kill wolf GW3237m, also known as Bram, who has been designated a “problem wolf” after he bit a hiker in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug in May. The wolf was also implicated in a number of incidents in 2024.

Wildlife managers have been unable to locate the wolf.

Animal rights organisations have unsuccessfully tried to have the order to kill Bram overturned in court. Extinction Rebellion held a protest march against the decision on Sunday, arguing that the wolf was being punished for the actions of people who encouraged wolves to approach them for photographs by offering food.

But a recent survey for RTL found that 58% of people think the government should take tougher measures against wolves, while 71% believe the wild animals should be shot if they attack or intimidate humans.