Dutch police find missing head of dead wolf… in a man’s home

Investigation is still ongoing...

Last May, the Dutch police made the puzzling discovery of a decapitated wolf carcass in the ​​Veluwe. Two days later, the mystery came to a head: the missing body part was found… in a man’s home.

According to RTL Nieuws, the East Netherlands Police is still investigating the incident.

A morbid scene

As the first wolf specimen found without a head since the species made a comeback to the Netherlands, the decapitated carcass caused quite a stir.

READ MORE | Rare footage of Veluwe wolfpack captured by wildlife cam (video inside!)

While the leading cause of death for wolves in the Netherlands is collision, this specimen appears to have died of natural causes, provincial organisation BIJ12 tells RTL Nieuws.

Its decapitation, then, would have occurred when the animal was already dead.

“It’s not permitted”

While the man found in possession of the wolf’s head is not accused of killing the animal, the Public Prosecution Services are investigating several other aspects of the incident.

READ MORE | Avoid this Dutch nature reserve after possible wolf attack on a child

Firstly, he was not allowed to take home his morbid souvenir. “Without a permit, it is not allowed to have or transport a protected species,” an East Netherlands Police spokesperson tells RTL Nieuws.

photo-of-warning-sign-advising-people-on-how-to-handle-wolf-encounters
Many Dutch forests now have warning signs on how to handle wolf encounters. 😟 Image: Dreamstime

Secondly, the location where the carcass was retrieved is part of a protected zone.

The area is a closed-off part of the 10,400-hectare Kroondomein Het Loo estate, the largest estate in the Netherlands, located in Gelderland, on the Veluwe.

READ NEXT | The 8 greatest forests in the Netherlands for a nature escape

While portions of the state-owned estate, formerly a royal property, are indeed visitable, the part the man entered is forbidden to visitors.

As such, the man risks being prosecuted on at least two accounts.

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Feature Image:Dreamstime
Beatrice Scali 🇮🇹
Beatrice Scali 🇮🇹
Five years after spreading her wings away from her beloved Genova, Bia has just landed at DutchReview as an editorial intern. She has lived in China, Slovenia, Taiwan, and — natuurlijk — the Netherlands, where she just completed her bachelor’s in International Studies. When she’s not reciting unsolicited facts about the countries she’s lived in, she is writing them down. Her biggest dreams include lobbying the Dutch government into forcing oliebollen stands to operate year-round, and becoming a journalist. In this order.

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