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.
Rewilding Europe is delighted to welcome a new member from Germany to the European Rewilding Network. Displaying impressive growth since its launch at WILD10 in Salamanca in October 2013, the network now comprises 61 members from 26 European countries (including Rewilding Europe’s eight operational areas).
Taking place at the end of February, this year’s first European Rewilding Network (ERN) webinar saw 17 participants from nine European countries come together online to discuss the challenges of introducing large herbivores.
The successful translocation saw a second group of ten Tauros join the existing herd, which arrived in the Danube Delta in 2015. Crossbreeding with local breeds should result in a free roaming, well-adapted herd of bovines that will shape a biodiverse, naturally grazed delta landscape.
This month, the natural grazing area in Lika Plains in Croatia got another boost with the arrival of a herd of Tauros originating from The Netherlands. The 11 new animals joined the existing herd in the scenic grassy plains at the foothills of Velebit Mountains. The natural grazing area in Lika Plains recently expanded and is now covering 800 hectares.
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.
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.