BERLIN (AP) — A wolf bit a woman in a shopping area in Hamburg before it was pulled out of a lake in Germany’s second-biggest city, authorities said, in what is believed to be the first such attack since wolves returned to the country in 1998.
The fire service said that the woman was taken to a Hamburg hospital after the unusual encounter on Monday evening, German news agency dpa reported. There was no immediate information on her condition Tuesday, and police didn't detail where she was bitten. It also wasn't clear what led to the attack.
The attack took place in a shopping area near the Altona station, west of the city center. Late on Monday evening, police said, officers hauled the wolf out of the Binnenalster lake in downtown Hamburg following calls alerting them to a sighting of the animal there and in other locations. Local media reported that it was taken to an enclosure in the outskirts of the city.
Officials believe it's likely that the wolf involved was the same one that was sighted in Blankenese, an outer suburb of the city, over the weekend. Experts believe that animal is a young wolf searching for a territory of its own that accidentally wandered into the city. Hamburg's regional government noted that wolves generally avoid contact with people and dogs, and the unusual urban environment would be very stressful.
Germany's Federal Agency for Nature Conservation said it was the first time a person was known to have been attacked by a wild wolf since the animals reappeared in the country after 150 years' absence nearly 30 years ago, dpa reported.
Wolf attacks on livestock in Europe have been a growing concern to farmers for years, however. Last year, the European Parliament voted to change wolves' status from “strictly protected” to “protected.”
Last week, the German parliament gave final approval to legislation making it easier to shoot wolves that kill or wound livestock.
View of the Inner Alster, or Binnenalster in Hamburg, Germany Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP)
It’s a decisive day for one of soccer’s historic powers.
Struggling Italy visits Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European qualifying playoffs on Tuesday with the four-time champion desperate not to miss out on a third straight World Cup.
Italy was eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia in qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups and has not appeared at soccer’s biggest event since 2014.
In last week’s European playoff semifinals, Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0. Bosnia eliminated Wales in a penalty shootout.
Tuesday's other European playoff finals are: Sweden vs. Poland; Kosovo vs. Turkey; and the Czech Republic vs. Denmark.
All four matches are scheduled to kickoff at 8:45 p.m. local time (1845 GMT; 2:45 p.m. ET).
Italy’s World Cup struggles began soon after its last title in 2006: The Azzurri were eliminated from the 2014 and 2018 finals at the group stage.
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Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso walks on the pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia, at the Bilino Polje stadium, in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
From left to right, Italy's Matteo Politano, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Manuel Locatelli walk on the pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia, at the Bilino Polje stadium, in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Bosnia's captain Edin Dzeko gestures during the training session ahead of the World Cup playoff final soccer match against Italy, at the Butmir training centre, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's Marco Palestra, right, walks on the pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia, at the Bilino Polje stadium, in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso listens to the questions of journalists during the press conference ahead of the World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
