A wolf was spotted in the Twente countryside by three separate eyewitnesses at the beginning of this month, according to local paper Twentsche Courant Tubantia.

Three eyewitnesses claim to have seen the animal walking near Ootmarsum in Twente. An expert is studying the reports but has declined to say where exactly the wolf was spotted.

The wolf came from Germany, stayed for between 30 and 48 hours in the Netherlands and then appears to have gone back to Germany, the paper says.

Germany

In April, a wolf was recorded on camera in the German village of Nordhorn, just over the border from the new sightings.

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

The last wolf was officially seen in the Netherlands in 1897.

Protected

In March, the government announced the wolf will be a protected species when it returns to live in the Netherlands

The wolf will have legally protected status which means farmers will receive compensation from a special fund if livestock are attacked and killed.