This Wednesday, 20 Tauros safely arrived at the spectacular Lika Plains, Velebit rewilding area in Croatia, where they will join the existing herd in the largest Tauros breeding site of Rewilding Europe. Here, through natural grazing, wild-living herds of Tauros and horses restore natural processes. The impact of bovines on the landscape is already visible, while large predators in turn influence the behaviour of the large herbivores.
The ninth web-based seminar of the European Rewilding Network took place on December 14th. This time, attendants active in various rewilding sites throughout Europe shared experiences in restoring natural grazing as a key ecological process by bringing back free roaming and wild-living large herbivores. The event focused in particular on horses and bovines, including the Tauros.
On Friday 16th October, the arrival of a herd of bovines to the Danube Delta rewilding area marked the launch of the third breeding site of the Tauros Programme. After a complex logistical operation and a very long barge cruise down the Danube River, the animals arrived safely at the breeding site location, receiving a warm welcome by the new herd managers and Sfântu Gheorghe local community.
Today, Rewilding Europe launches a new publication focusing on sharing practices on natural grazing as a key ecological process. The publication “Natural Grazing – Practices in the rewilding of cattle and horses” will help rewilding initiatives from all over Europe to learn and adopt some of the latest lessons and practices on setting up and developing natural grazing initiatives.
Rewilding Europe is delighted to receive financial support from the Toyota Fund for Europe for working in the Southern Carpathians and Velebit rewilding areas.
During the fifth event of the European Rewilding Network, that took place March 27, attendants from several rewilding sites exchanged experiences on natural grazing. In specific, aspects were discussed on how to start and manage herds of cattle and horses in a more natural context meaning the animals are managed with less human intervention, in natural densities, and towards becoming self-sufficient.
On the morning of September 29, a horse transport was made in cooperation with the International Association of Bosnian Mountain Horse breeders, for release in Malo Libinje, at Petar Knežević’s farm in the Velebit rewilding area. I accompanied the truck carrying this first group of five new Bosnian mountain horses.
The period from July to October is a risky one in Western Iberia every year. You cannot imagine how high the temperatures can get and how scarce the rains most often are. This means a great risk of fire. Even if fire is a natural phenomenon here and has always been, the frequency has increased to very high and dangerous levels that are not natural. Not because of the climate, but rather because of humans and their habits.
Natural grazing is all about the return of wild and semi-wild grazers to their natural habitats. But what does this mean? And how does it serve us and nature?
A herd of 24 Retuerta horses, coming from the Doñana biological station in southern Spain, were released in the Campanarios de Azaba reserve on July 27. The release was possible thanks to the Rewilding Europe initiative and the collaboration between the Nature and Man Foundation and the Doñana Biological Station.