TaurOs Project
The Project Tauros, Tauros also program (in Dutch "Het Tauros Programma ", English "The Tauros Programs") is a collaboration of the Dutch foundation Stichting Taurus and various European universities such as the University of Wageningen. It is an international breeding program for a cow from which it is hoped, to the extinct aurochs, the ancestor of most domestic cattle, are as close as possible today. The breeding project is active since 2009, but based on years of preparatory work on a scientific level.
Used original breeds of cattle, which are intended to show genetic and phenotypic similarities with the aurochs and are robust enough to survive without human intervention in the wild. They will be brought together by cross breeding and future selected active strictly according to features and ecological capacity. A long-term goal of the project is the reintroduction of the Taurus in selected European Rewilding areas.
The target in the Project Tauros ( with "o" ) should not be confused with the Taurus cattle ( with "u" ), which is a continuation of breeding of beef tail.
Previous locations of the project are among others Nature Reserve Keent and Kempen - Broek (Netherlands) and Faia Brava ( Portugal), there are still more to come in Europe.
Background
A current development of nature conservation and the restoration is to the effect that, is on the Megaherbivorenhypothese, the reintroduction of the European big game based seen to be essential to maintain the original biodiversity of open or semi-open landscape without human influence. The aurochs, once one of the most important ungulates of the continent, but was eradicated in 1627. Therefore necessary to resort to the so-called Rewilding its domesticated descendants, which are robust enough to fulfill this role. In many grazing projects is often resorted to rear cattle, besides also Galloway and Scottish Highland cattle, especially in Germany. The Heck cattle originated in the 1920s in an attempt to breed from different cattle breeds an image of the aurochs. The Heck cattle has indeed proven to be robust, but it is sufficient in the eyes of some not as the restoration of the aurochs.
The Tauros program was formed with the aim of the aurochs to come closer than previous " back breeding " experiments. This is based on the idea that original features of the aurochs in some, few highly bred cattle breeds would still be present and could be combined by crossing and selection breeding to the largest possible proportions again. Stichting Taurus operates for years Begrasungsprojekte with robust cattle and horses, and bought for the project to be authentic befundene breeds from southern Europe. The " striking similarity " of the Iberian cattle breeds already noticed the Munich biologist and zoo director Heinz Heck ( 1894-1982 ).
Methods and objectives
The Tauros program uses robust breeds of cattle, which as authentically as possible should be the same on the aurochs with respect. The goal of crossing and selection breeding of these breeds is progressively to establish new breeding lines, which are the aurochs as close as possible and suitable for the reintroduction of European wildlife reserves. This, however, not only of the phenotype and the robustness but also the genetic information Auerochsen is contemplated. Accordingly, within the project studies take place, such as regarding a possible introgression of wild aurochs in the population of domestic cattle in Europe. Furthermore, the choice of food and the behavior of cattle breeds used is investigated.
The except ox -like breeds used for crossbreeding mainly from Iberia and Italy. Among them are sayaguesa, Pajuna, Tudanca, Italian Podolica, Maronesa, Limia cattle and maremmana primitivo. Such primitive races were becoming increasingly rare in recent decades, some are highly endangered. Is also used in the Scottish Highland Cattle, which is extremely robust due to the long fur and strong ability to fat storage. The project already has several crossing cattle. It is expected to come as early as 2015 on up to 100 animals. According to Wouter Helmer (Director of Rewilding Europe), the desired except ox -like cattle should be able to move in the near future freely in wild herds, and such as red deer, wild boar and wolf again be an integral part of European nature.
The collection and analysis of the existing genetic material is progressing slowly. The nuclear DNA of aurochs is not yet conclusively deciphered. The mitochondrial DNA of aurochs contrast, there is already and has been compared with the mitochondrial DNA of 30 original breeds of cattle. So at least the relationships of the races with each other and their proximity were determined to aurochs and a genealogical family tree are created in the maternal line. Many of the races so far used by Tauros program, eg Podolica and Pajuna should have proved to be closely related to the aurochs.
Races and previous intersection results
Except for the Scottish Highland cattle, the cattle breeds used by Tauros program are relatively large and the aurochs in proportions and color sometimes very similar. So a lighter trace on the back or a much lighter color in cattle is often present. The horn size varies, the curvature is very similar in some of those races of the aurochs. All breeds are accustomed for centuries to live without house or shelter all year round and free to feed themselves; is robust landraces that are adapted to their regions.
The following in their phenotype usually very original Robust cattle are currently in use:
- Sayaguesa
- Maremmana primitivo
- Pajuna
- Limia beef
- Maronesa
- Podolica
- Tudanca
- Scottish Highland Cattle
To the 120 crossbred calves, mainly animals of the first cross generation were already born, the first in spring 2010. For spring 2013, the birth of a further 150 calves was expected, many of which should already belong to the second generation crossover.
The oldest crossing animal, a bull, which originated from a cross between Pajuna and maremmana primitivo, both long-legged and large breeds, already has the wild color characteristics on like a black base color with a light dorsal stripe and bright edged muzzle.
Young sayaguesa bull
Podolica Cow
Maremmana x highland cattle ( cow)
Sayaguesa - crossbred
Breeding groups
Netherlands: The focus of the Tauros - breeding is currently in the Netherlands. Here are breeding flocks at several locations. The most important or at least most commonly mentioned are located in the nature reserve Keent and Transfrontier Park Kempen - Broek, eg more in the park Lingenzeegen.
Portugal: The Tauros program maintains at least as small a group Maronesas in the Faia Brava Rewilding -Europe area in West - Iberia.
Croatia: During the year 2013 [ deprecated] is expected to open a breeding group in Rewilding -Europe area Velebit.