A dead 50-kilo male wolf was taken to a wildlife rescue centre in Groningen on Friday, after apparently being hit by a car in Drenthe

If the wolf was indeed killed in the Netherlands, its presence would be further evidence that wolves are moving back into the country from Germany, experts said. The dead wolf was found just a few kilometres from the border.

The body will undergo tests at Utrecht University in an effort to determine where it came from.

There are have been two previous confirmed sightings of wolves in the Netherlands in the past two years – one in Groningen and Drenthe, and one in Overijssel. Until then, the last confirmed sighting of a wolf in the country was in 1869.

Faunavisie Wildcare spokesman Pim Lollinga told the Telegraaf the animal had been hit on the A28 between Hoogeveen and Meppel. It is unclear if the person who hit the animal reported it, or if the body was found on the road.

A dead wolf was found in Flevoland in summer 2013 but research showed it had probably been dumped there.

In March 2014, the government announced the wolf will be a protected species when it returns to live in the Netherlands. This means farmers will receive compensation from a special fund if livestock are attacked and killed.

Wolf aangereden op A28 https://t.co/egdmXzxLrZ

— RTV Noord (@rtvnoord) March 3, 2017