A wolf has died after being struck by a car in Brabant, bringing the total number killed on the roads so far this year to three.

The collision happened on the A2 motorway by the Bleijendijk estate, near Vught, at around 6.45am on Friday morning. The driver, who was unhurt, stopped and alerted police.

The road was closed briefly at around 9am while specialist teams recovered the remains of the wolf from the central reservation before handing it over to the province’s nature conservation department.

Young wolves are at risk in winter and early spring as they leave their packs and stake out new territory, crossing roads along the way. In January a wolf was killed on the N371 provincial road at Hogersmilde, Drenthe, while another was hit by a lorry on the A2 at Beesd, Gelderland.

The northern provinces of Drenthe, Friesland and Overijssel have called on nature minister Christianne van der Wal to consider limiting the restricted status of wolves so their numbers can be controlled. But European rules say other measures to prevent wolves causing a nuisance need to be exhausted first.