See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:31 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 13:37 BST, 24 August 2026
Three tourists have been injured in a suspected wolf attack that was captured on video at an Italian holiday resort. The beast attacked a 52-year-old holidaymaker and her 12-year-old daughter in Gallipoli, as well as a 47-year-old man staying in the same accommodation on Thursday evening.In the tense clip, the man can be seen trying to defend himself from the animal with kicks and punches after intervening on the attack on the mother and daughter inside a tourist facility in Punta Pizzo.Moments earlier, the mother and daughter handed their pet dog to another woman, who is seen in the footage running away from the savage tussle, clutching the small canine.All three victims were taken to hospital for their injuries but have since been discharged.Several outlets have attributed the animal to being a wolf however this has not been officially confirmed and Italian news agency Ansa reported that an investigation into the exact animal is still ongoing.The area at one of the most southern points of Italy is now being monitored by the Forestry Carabinieri for the animal.The country is believed to be home to around 3,300 wolves (as of 2022), with strict conservation laws bringing them back from the edge of extinction in the 1970s. Three tourists have been injured in a suspected wolf attack that was captured on CCTV at an Italian holiday resortThe beast attacked a 52-year-old holidaymaker and her 12-year-old daughter in Gallipoli, as well as a 47-year-old man staying in the same accommodation on Thursday eveningItaly has been plagued with recent reports of wild animal attacks, with some suggesting it could be wolves (stock image)Nearly 200km (124 miles) away, searches are continuing in Bari, Puglia, for another animal that attacked three children on August 4 and seriously maimed two people in Noicattaro on August 15. Parks and green spaces have been closed every night since the savage attacks, following an order from the local mayor, and will only be reopened from tonight. Thermal imaging cameras, drones and snares have all been used in recent days by a task force established to try capture the wild animal.Although the information officials have of the animal's morphology suggests a wolf, Antonio Camarda, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Bari, said the animal is displaying 'abnormal behaviour' for a wolf.The member of the task force said a typical wolf 'does not attack humans, because humans are not prey'.However, the wolf could have become acclimatised to venturing further into civilisation after developing the habit from feeding on stray animals.Other animal attacks have been reported recently in the area, with a French bulldog mauled on Thursday in Oria and San Pietro Vernotico, despite the owners' attempts to save it.In Valnerina, Umbria, searches continue for an animal that attacked a four-year-old girl on July 9. Further north, the region of Riccione has also closed its green spaces at night until September 3.
