Tauros have been released into the Greater Côa Valley for the first time. The herd will play a vital role in restoring grassland and woodland habitats in this rewilding landscape in Portugal.
The Taurus Foundation, dedicated to creating a substitute for the extinct aurochs that is best able to thrive in contemporary natural grazing schemes and wild landscapes, has become the latest organisation to join the European Rewilding Network. Julia Mata, the European Rewilding Network Coordinator, celebrated the news, saying, “This certification is long overdue. The Taurus foundation has been doing amazing work on the Tauros Programme, and we are very happy to welcome them into the European Rewilding Network.”
Spanish readers can now learn all about the aurochs and the programme to bring back this European icon. The newest translation of the book – “The Aurochs – Born to be Wild” – provides context for rewilding efforts in Spain, which are set to boost natural grazing with wild and semi-wild herbivores such as the Tauros.
Low intensity grazing by wild and semi-wild herbivores delivers a wide range of benefits to people and nature. The fourth in our ongoing series of impact stories takes a look at how rewilding has enhanced such grazing within European landscapes over the last decade.
Natural grazing is a critical process in many European ecosystems. The European Rewilding Network is playing a key role amplifying its use and impact.
A herd of 20 Tauros has just been released in the Velebit Mountains rewilding area in Croatia. Complementing the 20 Tauros already released in August, the animals will help to restore a more natural landscape which better supports wild nature and nature-based tourism.
A herd of 20 Tauros has just been released in the Velebit Mountains rewilding area in Croatia. The animals will create a wilder grassland environment and continue the Tauros Programme’s genetic refinement process.
The three-year, pan-European project will evaluate the benefits of various land management models involving domesticated and wild/semi-wild herbivores. It will hopefully lead to more supportive EU policy and legislation.
Cooperation between a member of the European Rewilding Network (the Auerrind Project) and partner of Rewilding Europe (the Taurus Foundation) saw eight Tauros translocated between the Netherlands and Germany in August. A significant milestone in the development of the Auerrind Project, the translocation will help with the back-breeding of aurochs.
Golden jackal numbers are now increasing in the Danube Delta. Rewilding Europe has undertaken a preliminary local study to examine jackal behaviour and gauge people’s attitudes towards this resilient carnivore.
