A PROJECT has been launched which could see the first introduction of a breed of huge wild cattle to Scotland, effectively reintroducing an extinct species.
The conservation charity Trees for Life has proposed introducing a herd of up to 15 tauros cattle on its 4000 hectare Dundreggan estate near Loch Ness in 2026.
Tauros are muscular, long-horned cattle which have been bred to be as similar as possible to aurochs — a once wild species of large herbivore which played a vital role in shaping the landscape and biodiversity of Europe, including Scotland.
Aurochs went extinct around 400 years ago due to habitat loss, interbreeding with domestic zebu, and pressures from hunting.
However, for centuries they filled a key ecological niche across Europe, with the soil disturbance from their grazing creating habitats for plants and insects.
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“Introducing the aurochs-like tauros to the Highlands four centuries after their wild ancestors were driven to extinction will refill a vital but empty ecological niche – allowing us to study how these remarkable wild cattle can be a powerful ally for tackling the nature and climate emergencies,” said Steve Micklewright, Chief Executive of Trees for Life.
“Our Tauros Project is about looking forwards while learning from the past as we restore nature-rich landscapes that support wildlife and people, and are resilient to future environmental challenges.
“We also want to give people the chance to experience in a safe way the awe and wonder of getting close to an animal that feels really wild.”
Aurochs are depicted in petroglyphs of the Côa Valley in Portugal, which date back 30,000 years.
However, they disappeared from Britain around 1300 BC.
They later became globally extinct with the last aurochs dying in Poland in 1627.
But auroch DNA has survived in a number of ancient original cattle breeds.
Scientists in the Netherlands have sought to bring aurochs back to life since the early 2000s, by interbreeding ancient cattle breeds that are genetically and physically closest to the aurochs.
This has been aided by the first sequencing of the aurochs’ complete genome, in 2011.
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While classified as domestic cattle, tauros have no equivalent among other breeds.
Bulls can reach up to 180cm and cows 150cm at the shoulder, similar in size to aurochs.
They can live in a wide range of environmental conditions, with minimal human intervention.
Scientists believe one ecological game-changer is tauros’s creation of so-called bullpits– bowls in the earth carved out by rutting bulls using their horns and hooves.
Bullpits form micro-habitats that support invertebrates, small mammals and birds, and allow pioneer plant species to establish.
As a domestic cattle breed, it is already legal to import tauros to Scotland.
Trees for Life intends to release the small herd in a way that lets the tauros behave as naturally as possible, and that balances rewilding benefits with conservation of recovering ecosystems.
The five-year project will strictly adhere to the legal and animal welfare requirements of keeping cattle.
The charity states that tauros will be treated as farm animals but live as wild a life as possible.
Signage and safety protocols will allow people to encounter them in a managed way.
The release will follow a further year of project development, including research, detailed habitat assessments, and securing full funding.
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