The Utrecht provincial authorities are calling for permission to shoot a wolf following an incident on Wednesday in which “a big animal”, possibly a wolf, pushed a child to the ground.

Parents have now been warned not to take their small children out for walks in the woods of the Utrechtese Heuvelrug national park because of the incident.

The incident, which took place in the area between Austerlitz and Zeist, was reported by the father and grandmother of a little girl who they said was nudged by “a big dog or wolf”, causing her to fall over.

The incident is similar to an earlier encounter in which a little girl was nipped by a wolf at the nearby Den Treek estate. In both cases, the animal approached the child from behind, estate manager Wilbert Nijlant told the AD. “Fortunately she only has a few scratches. We think this may have been a wolf again,” he said.

In a third incident, a small dog was attacked and taken by a wolf on the estate, which has since been closed to the public. One wolf family is known to live in the area with cubs and is “extremely defensive” if people and dogs get too close, officials said earlier.

If the same wolf was involved in all three incidents, the provincial authorities said they will ask for permission from the agriculture ministry to have it killed.

“If this was a wolf, expert opinion is that it is showing atypical behaviour which is a worry. That is why we are preparing a request to have it shot,” officials said in a statement.

A DNA test is being fast-tracked, officials said, but until then people are urged not take their children on outings in the areas around Leusden, Zeist, Woudenberg and Utrechtse Heuvelrug.

Nico Koffeman, chairman of animal protection organisation Faunabescherming said it is “completely unthinkable” the request will be granted. That is only possible if the wolf is very aggressive towards people, he said. “Here we are only talking about a few bumps and scratches,” broadcaster NOS quoted him as saying.

Koffeman pointed to a recent decision by the European court prohibiting culls in Spain and Austria to strengthen the protected status of the animal in Europe.

Faunabescherming said it would go to court if a request to shoot the wolf is granted.