Sad though it is, the true Aurochs, a huge beast (described by Julius Caesar as being "a little below the elephant in size") has been gone for nearly 400 years. The efforts on breeding these would-be throwbacks take up resources that could do an awful lot for (say) Tamaraw or Banteng conservation, IMVHO.
The title is meant to ironic. This breed is exhibited in an historic farm display at the zoo and is clearly identified as a domestic animal. I am also a fan of the Heck Cattle (or the breeds being used by the Dutch group making an attempt to bring back an Aurochs approximation). Some interesting things going on in Europe in the Re-wilding movement.
It will never happen, but I would love to see Feral Horses removed from the range and Pzewalski Horses take their places. I'd be pretty thrilled if Somali Wild Asses got their genes into our Burro populations too. After recovery, manage both species as native game animals. Theoretically, American Wild Horses managed in the manner of that Dutch Reserve could support Condor recovery...although then I guess the Condors might not be considered "wild". Conservation is gonna need to be creative I guess.
If you like heck cattle, you'll enjoy the TaurOs project. TaurOs Programme
[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TaurOs_Project]TaurOs Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
The title is meant to ironic. This breed is exhibited in an historic farm display at the zoo and is clearly identified as a domestic animal. I am also a fan of the Heck Cattle (or the breeds being used by the Dutch group making an attempt to bring back an Aurochs approximation). Some interesting things going on in Europe in the Re-wilding movement.
It will never happen, but I would love to see Feral Horses removed from the range and Pzewalski Horses take their places. I'd be pretty thrilled if Somali Wild Asses got their genes into our Burro populations too. After recovery, manage both species as native game animals. Theoretically, American Wild Horses managed in the manner of that Dutch Reserve could support Condor recovery...although then I guess the Condors might not be considered "wild". Conservation is gonna need to be creative I guess.
That would be interesting if Somali wild asses or Pzewalski horses were released on the range where feral ones existed. But you're right, there's so much controversy with those anyway that it's unlikely the other kinds would be introduced. I'm not making the connection with the Dutch Reserve supporting condor recovery. Is there a breeding facility for California condors in the Netherlands? Regarding the picture, are Heck cattle present in U.S. zoos?
I'm not making the connection with the Dutch Reserve supporting condor recovery. Is there a breeding facility for California condors in the Netherlands?
