The dead animal was discovered with fatal wounds from a wild animal on Monday, the sustainable development and environment ministries said in a joint statement published Wednesday. Experts examined the injuries and “based on this practical expertise, a wolf has not been excluded as the cause,” the government said.

Genetic samples of the bite marks have meanwhile been sent to Germany for further tests, the results of which are expected in the coming weeks.

Conservationists will no doubt welcome the news as wolves had been absent from Luxembourg for some 124 years until a report from Garnich, south west of Luxembourg, in July 2017.

Luxembourg has been preparing for the possible return of the wolf, which is protected throughout Europe. Wolves generally avoid contact with humans and therefore encounters with them are rare but not impossible, the government writes.

If you see a wolf, you can report it by emailing wolf@anf.etat.lu.