This is the terrifying moment a cyclist flees a wolf as it comes loping out of woodlands to chase him down a country lane.

The cyclist caught the dramatic moment on his helmet camera as he rode through De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Gelderland Province, Holland.

As the wolf emerges from woodland beside the track, the cyclist can be heard yelping in shock as he speeds up, desperately trying to outrun it.

But as he pedals furiously away, the wolf seems to keep up with him effortlessly until the footage – revealed by local media on 5th November – runs out.

Experts believe the wolf is a youngster hooked on human company.

Joachim Mergeay of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest told local media: “We know that there is a pack of wolves in De Hoge Veluwe, of which at least one young wolf shows an interest in people.

“In De Hoge Veluwe Park, remains of cadavers that were probably left as food for wolves are said to have been found close to the hiking trails.

“Wolves are naturally afraid of people, but by feeding them, they start to associate people with something positive.

“So it is possible that a wolf starts looking for people and that is clearly the case with this wolf.”

But Mergeay emphasised that the wolf was not looking to attack the cyclist.

He told local media: “In that case, the film would have ended very differently.

“A wolf can go up to 60 kilometres per hour, the cyclist would not have had a chance.

“You can clearly see that the wolf is leisurely walking behind the cyclist, probably just out of curiosity.”

Earlier footage had showed a wolf in the same park coming within a few yards of a family with children.

According to Mergeay, it may be the same wolf seen in the new footage.

He told local media: “It is clearly a problem wolf that must be deterred as soon as possible.

“The most important thing is to stun the wolf first and foremost and put a GPS tracker on it so that it can be tracked.

“Then the animal must be actively chased away so that it learns again that people are unpleasant.

“If it turns out that it has no effect, then there is no other option than to take out the wolf.”

Gelderland Province has now given permission to shoot the wolf with paintball guns.

Mergeay continued: “There are now about 20,000 wolves in Europe and in the past 20 years there have been barely three incidents of a human being attacked and bitten by a wolf.

“In each of those cases, it involved a wolf that was being fed by humans or that was captured as a puppy to tame it.

“Those wolves have become used to being fed, and if they don’t, they may bite out of frustration. In all three cases, it was not an attack to kill.

“And for those who come face to face with a wolf, there is only one tip: keep your distance and walk away quietly.”