The wolf will be a protected species when it returns to live in the Netherlands, junior economic affairs minister Sharon Dijksma told parliament on Thursday.

Wolf colonies have been moving closer to the Netherlands, so the cabinet has decided to get ready for its eventual arrrival, Dijksma said.

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

However, wolves which react agressively to people or dogs will be ‘removed’, the minister said.

Last summer a dead wolf was found by a roadside not far from the German border but this is now thought to have been a practical joke.