Hunters have shot dead Belgium’s first wild wolf in more than a century, conservationist groups monitoring the resurgent species have said.

Naya, a she-wolf, has been missing since May. Scientists and associations watching her since she was first spotted in Belgium in January 2018 fear the worst.

Her male companion August is now exhibiting signs of being a lone wolf once more, experts said. Naya was pregnant when she was last seen in May on one of the 60 wildlife cameras set up in rural Limburg, close to the Dutch border.

“I am 100 percent sure that Naya was shot. It is the only plausible explanation," said Sil Janssen, of the Natuurhulpcentrum animal shelter in Oudsbergen, which is in the eastern Flemish region that Naya made her territory.

“Hunters have free rein in the area,” Mr Janssen told the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper. “They may hunt wild boars there, but if they suddenly have a wolf in front of them, they will not hesitate. "

Hubertus Vereniging Vlaanderen, a Flemish hunting association, demanded Mr Jannssen provide evidence or take back the accusation. If proved, Naya would be the first wolf killed by hunters in Belgium since 1897, 122 years ago.

“This is pure suspicion and an attempt to blacken an entire sector without having the necessary material evidence. Has he seen remains?”, said Geert Van den Bosch, director of the association.