Arctic wolf attacks child during zookeeper event, girl airlifted to hospital

An Arctic wolf attacked an 8-year-old girl during a special zookeeper event at a wildlife park, leaving her seriously injured.

The event took place Oct. 28 at Wildpark Johannismühle, located just outside the town of Baruth/Mark, Germany, which is about 45 miles south of Berlin, according to a news release from the Teltow-Fläming district.

While caretakers were giving water to the animals in the enclosure, the young girl was injured by "at least one wolf," a Brandenburg Police report said.

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The girl was treated by first responders before being airlifted to a hospital in Berlin.

Her condition has not been made public, but she sustained critical head injuries, local news outlet Bild reported.

Two other girls were in the enclosure at the time, but the animal caretaker who was present took actions to protect them.

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Chaplains are working with four people, including three children, to provide emotional support in the wake of the incident, the Teltow-Fläming news release said.

An investigation into the incident is underway.

The proper special authorities, which in this case include The Lower Nature Conservation Authority and the Veterinary and Food Surveillance Office, will be given a police report and determine next steps, according to the news release.

"The Veterinary and Food Surveillance Office will visit the wildlife park promptly and carry out an on-site animal welfare control," the release noted.

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"A professional assessment of the health and behavior of the wolf, or of any wolves potentially involved, in connection with the incident is not yet available," it continued. 

"Such assessments will be subject to further investigation."

Wildpark Johannismühle advertises multiple up-close encounters with animals.

During the park’s "Zookeeper for a Day" experiences, visitors can "maintain enclosures, prepare food, occupy and feed animals — and learn a lot of exciting background knowledge about our wildlife park residents," the website says. It calls the encounters "a look behind the scenes that normal visitors do not get."

It also says, "For our younger animal fans, we also offer the small animal caretaker day. Here, children can support the animal caretakers in their work for half a day (7:20 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), help and playfully get an exciting insight into everyday professional life — age-appropriate, supervised and with a lot of animal proximity."

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Both Arctic and gray wolves inhabit the wildlife park, which will remain closed until Nov. 2, according to the website.

"We very much hope that the child recovers soon, and wish all those affected a lot of strength to process what they experienced," Björn Christian Paterok of the Teltow-Fläming district said in the news release.

Fox News Digital reached out to Wildpark Johannismühle for comment.