Woman 'Seriously Injured' After Being Mauled by Wolves at Zoo in France

Charlotte Phillipp

June 24, 2024 at 2:48 p.m.·3 min read

A Paris woman was attacked by Arctic wolves while out for a run at the Thoiry ZooSafari in France and sustained bites to her neck, leg and back

<p>Vasyl Helevachuk/Getty</p> Arctic wolves — Vasyl Helevachuk/Getty
Arctic wolves

A woman visiting a French safari park and zoo was injured after wolves attacked her while she was out for a run.

On Sunday, June 23, a 37-year-old Paris woman visiting the Thoiry ZooSafari in Thoiry, France — about 40 minutes outside Paris — left her lodge in the park where she, her mother and her 22-month-old child had spent the night at about 9:30 a.m. local time, local French outlets TF1 and Le Parisien reported.

According to the outlets, the woman accidentally entered an area of the park meant to be accessed by car. The park runs car safaris in the over 17-acre (7 hectares) area, according to the zoo's website, where Arctic wolves as well as bears, zebras, giraffes, rhinoceroses and other animals are allowed to roam free. Visitors are meant to view them from their cars or zoo-owned trucks.

<p>LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty</p> A watusi cattle stands on the side of a road as a car drives past at the safari park of the Thoiry Zoo in 2018. — LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty
A watusi cattle stands on the side of a road as a car drives past at the safari park of the Thoiry Zoo in 2018.

TF1 reported that wolves "pounced" on the woman when she was about 900 feet outside of her lodge, and she was "seriously injured" after sustaining bites on her neck, calf and back. Zoo staff heard her cry out, the outlet added, and intervened. She was taken to a nearby hospital and a prosecutor told the TF1 that her condition had "stabilized" later in the day.

“Luckily, the medical staff intervened very quickly and we were able to save this person,” the zoo’s CEO Christelle Bercheny said during a press conference, according to CNN.

Bercheny added that signs are posted around the zoo that remind visitors of the park's "rules of survival," CBS News reported.

"The behavior of the animals in the reserves is that of animals in freedom or semi-liberty," the CEO said, according to CBS, noting that the zoo's animals may not be used to seeing humans.

<p>JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty</p> A giraffe, zebras and elephants feed at the Thoiry Zoo and Safari Park on May 29, 2020. — JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty
A giraffe, zebras and elephants feed at the Thoiry Zoo and Safari Park on May 29, 2020.

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, Arctic wolves are "carnivorous hunters" native to North America that "rarely [come] into contact with humans."

Authorities are investigating the incident, per TF1, and looking into how the woman ended up in the area.

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Maryvonne Caillibotte, chief prosecutor in Versailles told AFP that it's not yet clear "whether she made a mistake or the trail wasn't clearly marked," CBS reported.

First responders arrived on the scene "very quickly," she said, and added that the animals were "moved away, then returned to their area."

The Thoiry ZooSafari overnight accommodations range in price from €220 to €760 (about $236 to $815) per night, according to the zoo's website, and its lodges offer "the opportunity to relax and live a unique experience in complete privacy with the Arctic wolves."

Neither the zoo nor French prosecutors immediately responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Read the original article on People.

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