FEROCIOUS wolves are prowling British holiday hotspots as the number of the predators continues to grow.
It comes after a six-year-old boy was dragged into the woods by a child-hunting wolf in front of his horrified mum in the Netherlands.
The child suffered horrific bite wounds, which required stitching – and was found with multiple scratches and abrasions on his body.
The tot went for a walk with his mum and younger brother in the Dutch province of Utrecht when they saw an animal running towards them.
At first, Mum Nynke, 41, thought it was safe for her children to play with what appeared to be a friendly dog from a distance.
It was only when the wild wolf jumped on the boy and dragged him into the woods, the mum realised the danger.
Passers-by in the tourist hotspot Den Treek nature reserve then rushed to save the boy from the wolf’s jaws.
The panicked mother informed The Times: “Two men wielding large sticks managed to drive the animal away from my son. I was overwhelmed with fear and distress.”
Locals suspect that a rogue wolf named Bram was behind the dangerous attack.
Bram, who is officially designated GW3237m, is reportedly on a death sentence for attacking other people and dogs in the region.
Just a few weeks ago, the lone wolf bit a female hiker twice on the leg at the Den Treek estate near Leusden
A court permitted the province of Utrecht to shoot the wolf dead, saying it poses a threat to the people, the NL Times reports.
According to the court, the risk of serious injury to people is “so severe” that the wolf must be culled.
Recent wolf attacks on pet dogs, livestock and even children have sparked uproar across Europe.
Wolf populations have continued to grow due to the predators being protected under the Bern Convention in EU law.
But this also means there has been an increasing contact with humans.
Chilling figures released in June show the number of wolf attacks on sheep and other livestock is at an all-time high.
In the first three months of 2025 in the Netherlands, 368 attacks on animals were recorded, compared to a much lower 266 the year prior.
The Central European lowlands population of wolves currently sits at between 780-1030 wolves.
And our map shows how the Dinaric-Balkan region are having to deal with the highest number of the beasts – roughly 4,000.
The wolf-ridden region of mountains covers holiday hotspot destinations like northeastern Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania.
Wolves may also prowl Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as the northwestern part of Kosovo.
Central European lowlands are also having to grapple with between 780 to 1030 wolves.
Meanwhile the Alps and areas of Italy are dealing with up to 3,000 of the beasts.
The EU law was modified in March of this year, however, shifting the protection status of wolves in Europe from “strictly protected” to “protected”.
This change grants member states more flexibility in managing the ever-growing wolf populations.
Last year, in a tragic incident that shocked France, the remains of a two-year-old boy, Emile Soleil, were discovered in a wooded ravine with a bite mark on his skull.
Authorities revealed that little Emile’s remains were found near the hamlet of Le Vernet, nearly eight months after he mysteriously vanished from the Alpine village.
A few locals believed at the time that Emile was killed in a chilling attack by a pack of wolves.
Another boy was attacked by a rogue wolf in a snow-covered Russian park a few years ago.
Shocking video shows the predator mauling the child’s leg while the boy – believed to be aged around five – screams and cries.
However, according to the WWF, wolves in Europe don’t pose a threat to humans.
The animal charity says that scientific evidence has proved that wolves don’t treat humans as prey, with fatal encounters being exceptional.
