DNA tests on the clothes worn by a young girl said to have been nipped by a wolf earlier this month have confirmed that a wolf was responsible, Utrecht provincial officials said on Tuesday.

The incident happened on the Den Treek country estate in Leusden on July 16 and the area has been closed off to the public since then. The girl was one of an organised group of children who were playing in the area when she was approached by an animal from behind.

The playgroup leaders said she had been bitten by a wolf, which then let her go although she was so shocked by the incident that she fell and hurt herself.

The DNA test was carried out on part of her clothing which had been damaged and where there are possible teeth marks, the province said, adding that the teeth marks themselves had not been checked further.

“The results support the statement by eyewitnesses that there was a confrontation with a wolf,” the council said in a press statement.

One wolf family are known to live on the state with cubs and is “extremely defensive” if people and dogs get too close, officials said earlier.

A small dog disappeared a week before the bite incident and has not been seen since.