Wolf That Bit Woman in Hamburg Released Back Into Wild

A wolf that bit a woman in Hamburg on March 30, 2026, has been released back into the wild. The animal was fitted with a transmitter and released on the evening of April 5, 2026, according to the local environment ministry.

The release follows a highly unusual attack in the Altona district of Hamburg. On the evening of March 30, the wolf entered a shopping arcade on Grosse Bergstrasse, located near an inner-city Ikea store. A woman attempted to lead the disoriented animal away from the busy shopping street and out through glass automatic doors, at which point the wolf bit her in the face.

The victim suffered bite wounds to her mouth and cheek. While she was taken to a hospital for treatment, she has since been discharged.

Capture and Temporary Containment

Following the attack, the wolf ran several kilometers through the center of Hamburg. Police eventually located the animal late on March 30 in the Binnenalster lake. Officers used a rope to pull the wolf from the water, though the animal resisted for approximately one hour, requiring police to use shields during the capture.

After its capture, the wolf, identified as a male cub, was transported to a wildlife sanctuary near Sachsenhagen in the district of Schaumburg, Lower Saxony. The animal remained at the facility starting Tuesday, March 31, while officials and experts consulted on its future.

The Hamburg environment ministry considered several options for the animal, including placing it in a permanent wildlife enclosure or having it put down. However, the ministry stated that these options were deemed unfeasible for legal and practical reasons.

Release on Probation

The decision to release the animal was announced by the Hamburg environmental authority on April 6, 2026. Katharina Fegebank, Hamburg’s Senator for the Environment, described the move as a release on probation.

With the release, we have now found a legally secure solution for this wolf that takes into account the safety of citizens and animal welfare

Katharina Fegebank

To manage the risk to the public, the wolf was fitted with a transmitter that allows authorities to monitor its location at all times. Fegebank stated that if the wolf wanders near built-up areas or settlements again, hunters can intervene immediately if necessary.

Context of Wolf Populations in Germany

This incident is considered the first attack of its kind in Germany since wolves began re-establishing themselves in the country decades ago. A spokeswoman for the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation noted that there had not been a similar case since the reintroduction process began in 1998.

Wolves were effectively wiped out in Germany by the mid-19th century due to habitat loss and bounties. The species began returning to eastern Germany via Poland following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent introduction of stronger wildlife protections.

An official study conducted in 2025 recorded the following wolf populations across Germany:

• 219 packs of wolves
• 43 wolf pairs
• 14 lone wolves

In December 2025, the German government backed legislation to allow the regular hunting of wolves to manage populations in areas where large packs have settled.