Photos: Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe The Tauros Programme Tauros The as a functional by wild animal, relatives the closest backbreeding of the original aurochs. in 1627. “The Tauros Programme” Programme” Tauros “The in 1627. bring back the aurochs aims to for many European ecosystems, ecosystems, European many for Its extinction to hunted but was The aurochs is the ancestor of is the ancestor The aurochs species a keystone It is all cattle. Photos: Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe & Wild Wonders of Europe; illustrations: Daniël Foidl, Thomas Hammond / Taurus Foundation www.rewildingeurope.com bovines to prevent further of the open loss of the biodiversity prevent to bovines started was the by Programme” the ”Tauros This is why areas. bring back the closest to with the goal Foundation, Taurus as a wild animal. aurochs the extinct possible stand-in for Foundation Taurus with the has joined forces Europe Rewilding – as the animal will initially beTauros The in these efforts. as closely as technically the aurochs called – will resemble and genetics. behavior ecology, possible in appearance, on a broad, is founded programme The breeding base, geneticists, including multidisciplinary scientific archaeologists, molecular biologists, ecologists, cattle experts, isotope historians, archaeozoologists, organizations. breeding cattle experts and European to be met in some 20 goal of the programme, The final a self-sufficient as Tauros ofthe is the presence years, in animals each least 150 of at in herds grazer wild bovine in Europe. areas rewilding several somewhat similar grazing impact was continued through the through continued impact was similar grazing somewhat dominated totally that livestock of domesticated herds vast of all these millennia un- after But today, most landscapes. and pasture facing are parts of Europe vast grazing, interrupted before. experienced a scale never at abandonment farmland wild of fully self-sufficient, needs herds really A wilder Europe Jaktorów in Poland 1627. in Poland Jaktorów ecosystems Europe’s of of thousands years hundreds For influenceby the strong shaped were and benefited from with together of aurochs, living herds wild and free from wild horses, bison, European like herbivores other large years thousand a deer and ibex. During the last four-five smaller than the bulls and chestnut brown in colour. Calves Calves in colour. and chestnut brown smaller than the bulls changing with bull calves born chestnut-coloured, were or brown deep a very for months a few after colour coat the spine. running down with a whitish eel stripe black, mouth part. coloured the lightly was both sexes for Typical animal, perfectly adapted to an impressive was The aurochs open from of landscapes it inhabited, ranging the diversity landscapes, steppes and semi-deserts savannah-like more to above far and mountains kinds of forest several marshlands, in most habitats lived have Thus it seems to the timberline. – zones forest in the boreal except in Europe encountered do today. much as domestic cattle pretty was disappeared the aurochs why reason The only real but meat, First for extinction. it to because man hunted also an it was in domestic cattle, brought when man later competition because of grazing extermination intentional died in individual The last aurochs the aurochs. from Making Europe a Wilder Place a Wilder Making Europe Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands [email protected] +31 6 2044 7011 7011 +31 6 2044 The Netherlands [email protected] Nijmegen, 1, 6525 ED Toernooiveld Rewilding Europe Rewilding

defense, and adult aurochs could give large predators such such predators large give could and adult aurochs defense, considerably were The cows a serious match. as wolves The aurochs stood almost 180 cm tall and due to its long almost 180 cm tall and due to stood The aurochs animal. Its long, an agile legs and slender build was thick powerful means of provided speed and bulk weight horns, After the last Ice age, however, things started change to age, however, the last Ice After because of modern man. southern part of Scandinavia to North Africa, from the UK the southern part North from to of Scandinavia Africa, of all influence The ecological Asia. Central into all the way significant. was animals on the vegetation these grazing chosen the same symbol: a statue of Europa and the bull. and of Europa a statue chosen the same symbol: the from virtually Europe: all across roved once The aurochs an important role in the making of Europe. Zeus the bull the bull Zeus of in the making Europe. an important role Euro two on the Greek be found can today and Europa in Brussels has of Europe The building of the Council coin. in the form of an aurochs bull seduces and kidnaps the bull seduces of an aurochs in the form and its then the aurochs Since Europa. beautiful princess played – have breeds cattle day – our present descendants weighing in excess of 1,000 kilos. of 1,000 in excess weighing Zeus of Europe, myth about the founding In the Greek The aurochs was one of Europe’s most important most mammal one of Europe’s was The aurochs land mammal, after heaviest the continent’s It was species. bulls with mammoth, and wooly rhinoceros the wooly The icon European a of comeback