The wild, extinct supercow returning to Europe

Kieron Monks, CNN

Updated 1258 GMT (2058 HKT) January 9, 2017

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Conservationists and scientists are aiming to produce an animal that will be a "near 100% substitute" of the ancient auroch, one of the earliest cow species, which became extinct in 1627.

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Auroch around the clock – Conservationists and scientists are aiming to produce an animal that will be a "near 100% substitute" of the ancient auroch, one of the earliest cow species, which became extinct in 1627.

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Dutch ecologist Ronald Goderie launched the Tauros programme in 2008, using a technique known as back-breeding to produce an animal similar to the auroch, which would be named 'Tauros.'

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Tauros programme – Dutch ecologist Ronald Goderie launched the Tauros programme in 2008, using a technique known as back-breeding to produce an animal similar to the auroch, which would be named 'Tauros.'

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The group assembled breeds with genetics most similar to the auroch, and bred them together for a closer match. <br />These included the Maronesa cow of Portugal.

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Dream team – The group assembled breeds with genetics most similar to the auroch, and bred them together for a closer match.
These included the Maronesa cow of Portugal.

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Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Longhorn – The Maremmana cow of Italy was also included.

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Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Poster boy – 'Manolo Uno' was one of the earliest products of the back-breeding programme.

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A second generation Tauros at a breeding site in the Netherlands. Goderie expects the project will require seven generations for an acceptable outcome, which could be achieved by 2025.

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

New breed – A second generation Tauros at a breeding site in the Netherlands. Goderie expects the project will require seven generations for an acceptable outcome, which could be achieved by 2025.

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Tauros herd in the Czech Republic, one of several locations around Europe where the animals have been released to fend for themselves. <br /><br />In addition to appearance and behavior, they must undergo a process of de-domestication that will allow them to survive in the wild, and deal with predators such as wolves.

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Into the wild – Tauros herd in the Czech Republic, one of several locations around Europe where the animals have been released to fend for themselves.

In addition to appearance and behavior, they must undergo a process of de-domestication that will allow them to survive in the wild, and deal with predators such as wolves.

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Opponents of 're-wilding' schemes are concerned that introducing a species could imbalance an ecosystem, but other bovines such as bison have been successfully re-wilded in the US and Europe.

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Role model – Opponents of 're-wilding' schemes are concerned that introducing a species could imbalance an ecosystem, but other bovines such as bison have been successfully re-wilded in the US and Europe.

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The Tauros programme and partners hope the scheme can eventually be expanded so the animals roam over tens of thousands of hectares in Europe.

Photos: Can auroch substitute save European ecosystems?

Scaling up – The Tauros programme and partners hope the scheme can eventually be expanded so the animals roam over tens of thousands of hectares in Europe.

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Tauros_Keent NL (c) Staffan Widstrand 2013-01-20-080918

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Story highlights

Europe's largest mammal the auroch is being re-created through selective breeding
Fourth generation herds in pilot projects around Europe
Keystone herbivore could restore failing ecosystems and save other species

(CNN)Our ancestors learned to respect the auroch, and immortalized them in pre-historic cave paintings.

The earliest cows were mighty beasts that stood almost as tall as elephants, with lean, powerful frames and fearsome horns that would make a hunter think twice.

For thousands of years the aurochs were the largest land mammals in Europe, until the rise of human civilization decimated their numbers, and the last of the species died in Poland in 1627 -- one of the first recorded cases of extinction.

Conservationists now believe the loss of the keystone herbivore was tragic for biodiversity in Europe, arguing that the aurochs' huge appetite for grazing provided a natural "gardening service" that maintained landscapes and created the conditions for other species to thrive.

The theory is now being put to the test, as a "near 100% substitute" of the beast is returned to the forests.

Cave painting in Lascaux, France dating back around 17,000 years which is believed to depict an auroch.

Speed breeding

Ecologist Ronald Goderie launched the Tauros programme in 2008, seeking to address failing ecosystems. The most powerful herbivore in European history seemed to offer a solution.

"We thought we needed a grazer that is fully self-sufficient in case of big predators...and could do the job of grazing big wild areas," says Goderie. "We reasoned that this animal would have to resemble an auroch."

Rather than attempt the type of gene editing or high-tech de-extinction approaches being employed for species from woolly mammoths to passenger pigeons, Goderie chose a method known as back-breeding to create a substitute bovine he named