Jogger left fighting for life after being attacked by wolves

Wolves on a trail with snowy mountain in background
It's not known why the woman strayed into the safari park, which is restricted to cars only (Image credit: D Frank Wright)

A French jogger was left fighting for her life after being attacked by three wolves while running in a restricted area of a safari park over the weekend.

According to reporting by Le Parisien, the 36-year-old woman was visiting Thoiry Zoological Park near Paris with her mother and her baby when the incident occurred. She reportedly left to go jogging at around 9 a.m. on Sunday and strayed into the safari area, which is restricted to cars only. Park attendants heard the woman's screams and were able to chase off the wolf.

During the attack, the jogger sustained serious injuries to her neck, calf and back. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition, but her condition was later updated to stable.

The Thoiry Zoological Park lies just west of Paris and houses big mammals from around the globe. The runner reportedly crossed into the American reserve, which houses coyotes, bears and a bison in addition to the pack of six Arctic wolves. The zoo has launched an investigation into how the woman ended up in the restricted area.

Close-up of young wolf

The runner reportedly crossed into the American reserve, which houses coyotes, bears and a bison in addition to the pack of six Arctic wolves (Image credit: Getty)

Wolf safety

Your chances of meeting a wolf in the wild are small, and they are likely to give you a wide berth. 

In the very unlikely event that you do encounter a wolf in the wild, however, you should secure pets and children and stand your ground. Make yourself appear bigger and make noise by shouting, using your hiking whistle or banging your trekking poles together. 

Learn more in our article on what to do if you encounter a wolf on the trail.

Julia Clarke

Julia Clarke is a staff writer for Advnture.com and the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners. She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.