Two bulls of the Spanish breed Sayaguesa were transported from The Netherlands in mid October, to become a part of the Tauros Breeding Program in the Velebit mountains, Croatia.
I went for a walk along the old hiking trail towards Modrić. Walking along the periphery of the main pasture and into a part of the trail that was thick with wildflowers and grasses until I could no longer see the trail.
Malo Libinje is a rugged, stony part of the Velebit Mountains in Croatia, that borders the Paklenica National Park and overlooks the sea. It is also the home of the Knežević family. I was there to observe the behaviour of the Istrian Boškarin cattle that they received earlier this year through Rewilding Europe. The Knežević family kindly and graciously accepted me as a guest from America.
The herd of Boskarin cattle, that was transferred to the Tauros Programme breeding site in the Velebit Mountains at the end of March 2014, has a new member. A bull calf was born in the chilly summer night between 30 and 31 July, healthy and gorgeous.
The cowboy profession has changed dramatically. I consider myself as a modern one. I live in the city and I am now travelling by train, plane and car from the Netherlands to Croatia. On the train, the women next to me proudly show their new bags to each other. The brand is called ‘Cowboys bags’. They look nice, but don’t quite look like the saddle bags of Clint Eastwood or Old Shatterhand.
Twelve Boskarin cattle (five cows, five heifers and two calves) were transported at the end of March to the Tauros programme breeding site in the Velebit mountains in Croatia. According to the latest information the animals are doing well at their new home. This is the first time Boskarin cattle have been brought to Velebit. It is a part of the rewilding efforts by Rewilding Europe and the Tauros programme’s plans to de-domesticate or rewild primaeval cattle breeds back to get close to its original form: the aurochs. Because the ecosystems really need this animal.
The vision of how Europe can be rewilded showing some of the latest insights, experiences and successful working examples is presented in the brochure “Making Europe a Wilder Place, a series of presentations of the forefront of rewilding in Europe”. This 34-page brochure is now available. The proceedings are the result of a full-day seminar organised by Rewilding Europe on October 9, 2013 at WILD10, the World Wilderness Congress in Salamanca, Spain.
At the end of January, a female Maronesa cow was born in the Faia Brava Reserve, one of the Rewilding Europe core areas in Western Iberia. Totally, there are now 10 Maronesa individuals living in a semi-wild way at Faia Brava.
“The Aurochs – Born to be Wild”, a unique book about the comeback of this European icon was officially launched today, October 6 at a special event during WILD 10, the World Wilderness Congress in Salamanca, Spain, organised together with the Taurus Foundation and CoalitionWILD.
Seven Sayaguesa cows and one bull arrived yesterday at the Tauros programme breeding site in Keent, Netherlands. Together with the four animals still to arrive, this will contribute to the faster transition from a highlander-mixed herd to a more Tauros-like herd.