It's time for tauros

Once upon a time in Britain, if you cast your eyes over the countryside you would have no doubt spotted herds of aurochs foraging across the woodlands and grasslands. These hefty ancient cattle were once widespread in the UK and Europe and were vital in shaping our environment.

By roaming and foraging across large areas, aurochs created a mosaic of woodlands, scrub and grasslands, providing opportunities for a range of other wildlife and contributing to healthy soils. Since their extinction (in Britain several thousand years ago, and much later in mainland Europe — in the year 1627) our landscapes have been missing the presence of this keystone species.

The tauros, a new large grazer

It’s been four centuries since the extinction of the aurochs, yet traces of its DNA live on in many of our ancient cattle breeds. By selectively interbreeding six of these breeds, Dutch scientists created the tauros, a ​‘back-bred’ species that closely resembles the aurochs’ original characteristics and can serve as an excellent ecological substitute.

Many rewilding projects use native cattle breeds to fill the ecological niche once occupied by the aurochs. We support the use of hardy breeds such as Galloway and Highland cattle in rewilding projects, allowing them to graze freely and choose where and what to eat. Many of these native herds also exhibit some natural, aurochs-like behaviours, contributing to nature’s recovery. So, why then are we getting behind tauros?

Tauros to Scotland

We’re supporting Trees for Life​’s feasibility study to release a herd of tauros in the Scottish Highlands, at Dundreggan Estate. This isn’t because tauros are more closely related to the aurochs than our hardy native breeds – all cattle share that ancestry. Nor is this study a threat to the use of hardy native breeds in rewilding projects. Instead, it’s an exciting experiment to progress our knowledge of rewilding.

Bringing in a herd will allow the tauros to act in a semi-wild way, displaying natural herd dynamics and structures. The herd will include animals of different ages and sex, meaning that we can observe how they interact.

Bred for characteristics relating to ecosystem function, tauros should exhibit natural behaviours that have a positive impact on their environment. It’s hoped that they’ll create bull pits by digging into the ground with their horns during mating displays or to mark territory. This hormone-driven behaviour helps expose soil, encouraging seed germination and creating microhabitats for insects. Tauros also unintentionally help with seed dispersal and enrich the soil with their dung. The herd will serve as a valuable example of how we can bring back natural herds to Britain.

Why we’re excited about tauros

Tauros are larger and heavier than hardy breeds like Highland cattle and can reach up to 180cm in height. This size difference means tauros have a different impact on vegetation. They also look different. If we want people to see herbivores on rewilding projects recognised for their role in natural processes, we need to dial up the wild. They’ve already been successfully used in rewilding projects in the Netherlands and are generally unresponsive to people who may also be accessing the site.

Rewilding in Scotland has so far mostly focused on deer management to allow natural regeneration in areas that suffered from overgrazing. The Dundreggan Estate is now at the stage where it’s ready to experiment with introducing a different herbivore to the area. One that can help create a mosaic of habitats through natural disturbance.

Tauros play a different ecological role to deer due to their different grazing habits. By disturbing the ground, tauros promote plant diversity, improve soil health and boost insect populations. Restoring a diverse guild of herbivores improves opportunities for a range of wildlife.

We’re excited to see what might happen as a result of this rewilding experiment. Rewilding Britain are committed to improving our knowledge of different rewilding approaches in Britain. Practical learnings from the Tauros Project will be shared through the Rewilding Network, providing key knowledge that can support other rewilding projects looking to progress their own rewilding journeys. And we’ll be sure to keep our followers updated on this exciting story.