The dead wolf found by a roadside in Flevoland at the beginning of July may well have been shot in Poland and dumped in the Netherlands, experts said on Thursday.

A new investigation of the wolf’s skeleton has found traces of bullets, indicating the wolf may not have been killed by a car after all. The extra research was carried out by the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre in Utrecht and the Naturalis natural history museum in Leiden.

Two months ago, experts from the same institutes said the animal was extremely unlikely to have been dumped at the side of the road as a joke. The wolf died shortly after suffering extreme trauma to the head, probably from being hit by a car, they said.

However, after further research and x-rays, the researchers have now found traces of the coating and lead central core of a bullet. Corresponding holes have also been found in the animal’s skin which has been preserved, according to media reports. 

Vara radio programme Vroege Vogels is also claiming the remains of the beaver found in the wolf’s stomach are of Polish origin.

The last confirmed sighting of a wolf in the Netherlands was in 1869.