I always thought of Aurochs only living in the south of Spain! I imagined them in the wetlands of what is now Doñana and wandering across the wetlands to Africa? I suppose I should re learn that 🙂
What a great article you linked to Steve. Thankyou!
The BBC has a great article outlining the project of rewilding in Portugal.
The tauros, a specially bred version of the long-extinct auroch cattle, is being introduced to Portugal’s Côa Valley.
On a cold, misty morning, a herd of dun-coloured Sorraia horses, an endangered local breed, graze on grass and small shrubs, their short and stocky bodies enveloped in the mist by the Côa river in the mountains of northeastern Portugal. As the sun rises and the mist starts to dissipate, it unveils the deep gorges of the Côa Valley, where vultures and eagles nest on the cliffs.
Further south, a herd of large black and chestnut cattle with long horns run with agility. Known as tauros, these bovines are a specially bred version of the long-extinct auroch, the wild ancestor of the modern cow.
The horses and tauros were released by Rewilding Portugal, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to create a 1,200 sq km (463 sq miles) wildlife corridor along the Côa River, improving habitat connectivity between the Douro River in the north and the Malcata mountains in the south.