The timeline of events
It was 9 a.m. when the victim, who had spent the night with family in a hotel in the park, went for a run. This tourist, “who resided in the lounge (inside the park, editor’s note), crossed the enclosure of the American reserve on foot”, a reserve “which is only accessible by car”, reported the President general director (CEO) of Wow Safari Thoiry, Christelle Bercheny.
In the reserve, “vehicles can enter and exit and there are electrified plates which limit the exit access of animals”, but these plates “do not intervene on humans”, explained the director. She added that signs outside this area remind people of “the rules of survival” to follow in the park.
The victim was then attacked by three wolves. She was injured “in the neck, calf and back”.
How is the woman?
The injured woman was “conscious and stable” when she left the park. Earlier in the day, Versailles public prosecutor Maryvonne Caillibotte told AFP that she had been taken to hospital in absolute emergency.
At the time, “the caregivers were able to intervene very quickly to rescue her and provide first aid,” assured Christelle Bercheny. The three wolves which had attacked the victim were temporarily isolated to allow his rescue, before returning to their place in the reserve, which was completely closed during the intervention.
At the end of Sunday afternoon, the victim’s vital prognosis was no longer in jeopardy.
The first elements of the investigation
“We are in the process of analyzing all of the circumstances which could have led to this accident”, affirmed the director, specifying that an internal investigation was opened and that she was at this stage in possession of “no no element” concerning a possible technical or human failure.
“I am not able to say if it was she who made a mistake or if the marking was not well done,” explained the prosecutor. An investigation was opened into unintentional injuries and was entrusted to the Mantes-la-Jolie Research Brigade.
