Our story
Trees for Life has launched a project which could see the first introduction to the UK of a breed of huge wild cattle called ‘tauros’ – effectively reintroducing the aurochs, the wild ancestor of all domestic cattle, four centuries after its extinction.
Aurochs once roamed much of Europe as a keystone species, ensuring a rich mosaic of habitats including grasslands, forest, and wetlands. The muscular, long-horned tauros have been bred to be as similar as possible to the ancient aurochs – a mega-herbivore which for millennia played a vital role in shaping landscapes and boosting biodiversity across Europe, including Scotland.
Trees for Life aims to introduce a herd of up to 15 tauros from the Netherlands to its 4,000-hectare Dundreggan estate near Loch Ness in 2026, in a scientific research project to boost biodiversity and create opportunities for people, including education and eco-tourism.
Research in Europe shows these modern-day successors to the aurochs can help create exceptionally rich habitats for wildlife through their size and behaviour – being bigger and more active than other cattle, and interacting with their environment more dramatically.
Our advice
While no large animal – from deer to other cattle breeds – is entirely risk-free, people can coexist safely with tauros given appropriate precautions, public education about respecting their space, and good herd-management. Tauros are known to be placid, especially towards people, and have been bred from cattle breeds that are not unnaturally aggressive.
Being a cross-breed of cattle, tauros can be legally imported to Britain. Trees for Life intends to release the small herd in a way that lets the tauros behave as naturally as possible, and that balances rewilding benefits with conservation of recovering ecosystems.
The five-year project will strictly adhere to the legal and animal welfare requirements of keeping cattle. The tauros will be treated as farm animals but live as wild a life as possible. Signage and safety protocols will allow people to encounter them in a managed way.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the successful introduction and health of the tauros herd; habitat restoration and increased biodiversity; reconnecting people with the land and engaging them in rewilding; and by conducting scientific research that contributes towards rewilding in Scotland.
