Wolf leaps from trees and chases cyclist in terrifying footage
Incident occurred in the Hoge Veluwe national park in the Netherlands


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Terrifying footage has emerged of a wolf chasing a cyclist through the Hoge Veluwe national park in the Netherlands.
According to Newsweek, the incident comes after a series of complaints from park visitors about the unusually tame behaviour of the park’s wildlife.
Hoge Veluwe park contains several popular cycle paths. In the footage, a cyclist is seen riding down a popular path when a wolf leaps from the trees and follows the rider in hot pursuit.
Glenn Lieveld, coordinator of the Hoge Veluwe wolf reporting point suggested that the wolf was most likely showing playful behaviour in response to the riders movement.
Angry local residents in the Hoge Veluwe area as well as local animal associations have accused the park leaders of deliberately taming the wolves and encouraging the threatening behaviour.
Hoge Veluwe park has strongly denied the allegations.
Oeps das maar goed dat deze jonge op een racefiets ging en niet op een scootmobiel. De wolf wordt steeds gevaarlijker pic.twitter.com/3x3YehoS9nNovember 3, 2022
Hanna Pettersson, an expert from the University of York explained to Newsweek that seeing behaviour such as this from wolves is extremely uncommon.
Pettersson said: "Wolves do not normally constitute a danger for people, they tend to withdraw and avoid people when they notice them,"
However, there are some exceptions to this trend.
There have been two cases in Canada and the United States where wolves have killed humans.
In 2005 a 22-year-old man was killed by wolves in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada and in 2010, a 32-year-old woman was killed by wolves while out jogging in Alaska.
In 2019, Sierra Van Der Meer was chased by a grizzly bear in Canada and was forced to put in a "once in a lifetime sprint" to escape the clutches of the terrifying animal.
Pettersson explained that the adaptable nature of wolves will mean that they continue to breed and expand into human dominated areas in years to come.
"Wolves are extremely adaptable to both different habitats and diets, and as long as they have something to eat—be it wild animals, livestock, or garbage—they will keep breeding and expanding into increasingly human-dominated areas," she added.
"This may increase the risk of them developing unwanted behaviours and adaptations, bringing them closer to humans and human resources."
Park rangers working in Hoge Veluwe have been encouraged to use paintball guns to scare away the animals from areas where they may come into close contact with humans using the park.
Pettersson explained that in order to prevent similar future incidents, the best approach is to continue to encourage them away from areas of human settlement.
"The best approach is obviously to proactively prevent wolves from approaching human settlements by ensuring good habitat and wild game availability elsewhere, and making it hard for them to access livestock, pets, and garbage," Pettersson said.
Planning on visiting Hoge Veluwe park for a ride? Check out the best gravel bikes available on the market should you need a quick getaway in the event of a wolf being on your back wheel.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Tom is a News and Features Writer at Cycling Weekly, and previously worked in communications at Oxford Brookes University. He has reported from a wide range of races and events including the Tour de France and World Championships.
-
-
95% of the time I ride by myself - here's what I love most about solo cycling
From choosing my own route and pace to the chance to simply switch off, here are my top six reasons for cycling solo
By Tom Couzens Published
-
Smith Optics Trace MIPS review - packed with safety features yet still breathable
We check out the the brand's best selling road bike helmet to see what all the fuss is about
By Hannah Bussey Published
-
‘I couldn’t walk afterwards’ - Cyclist smashes 24-hour city bike record
Will Bright rode over 212 miles in a day last month. Here's how he found it
By Tom Davidson Published
-
MAMIL helps a mammal - cyclist filmed delivering calf mid ride
It's just MAMILs helping mammals
By Tom Davidson Published
-
‘There will come a time when I won’t be able to cycle’ - cyclist with Parkinson’s plots 1,100 mile epic
Alison Anderson's latest fundraiser is her most challenging to date
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Pedestrian jailed for manslaughter after causing cyclist to fall in front of car
Auriol Grey was sentenced in a retrial at Peterborough crown court on Thursday
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Naked tandem cyclists struck by passing motorist
Bizarre incident occurred in rural Perthshire, Scotland. Locals said to be shocked by naked pair
By Tom Thewlis Published