Tauros cattle released in Denmark to restore wild grazing habitats

A recent announcement has confirmed that 30 Tauros cattle will be released into Saksfjed Wilderness in Lolland, Denmark. The release area covers about 800 hectares, roughly 2,000 acres, and aims to restore natural grazing at a meaningful scale.

Aurochs, known scientifically as Bos primigenius, once roamed Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The last recorded animal died in 1627.

Genetic work has traced cattle domestication to the Near East about 10,000 years ago and found signs that wild aurochs mixed with early European herds. That research was led by Jens-Christian Svenning of Aarhus University.

Why aurochs matter today

Large herbivores can suppress woody growth, change plant communities, and reshape landscapes when they reach sufficient densities, according to an ecological framework.

The presence of large herbivores can influence fire patterns, nutrient cycling, and habitat structure in ways that many smaller species cannot match.

Conservationists call these animals keystone species because their actions support many others. Grazing, trampling, and browsing create bare ground, short grass, and mixed patches that benefit plants, insects, birds, and fungi.

This Danish effort focuses less on individual animals and more on the processes they trigger. The question on the table is simple, and important for Europe: can free-ranging cattle analogs keep landscapes open without constant human mowing or machines.

What are Tauros cattle?

Tauros are not cloned or engineered: they are produced by backbreeding. This means that hardy heritage cattle, chosen for traits that resemble aurochs, are crossed and then offspring that show those traits are selected over generations.

The result is a large, athletic bovine built for year-round life outdoors, with minimal inputs. Bulls can stand about 6 feet (1.8 meters) at the shoulder and weigh more than 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms). Their horns can top 3 feet (0.9 meters).

The herd headed to Lolland comes from Southern and Eastern European lines with robust frames and strong survival instincts. Those lines retained behaviors and body plans that modern dairy and beef breeds often lost under intensive farming.

Learning from Tauros cattle

“The Tauros is not only a spectacular animal, but also an important key to understanding how large herbivores can enhance the effect of rewilding and promote biodiversity,” said Jens-Christian Svenning.

“The research program will provide us with important knowledge about large herbivores in today’s ecosystems and lay the foundation for future nature management,” he added. Aarhus University researchers will monitor ecological effects and animal behavior over multiple years. 

Thor Hjarsen is a biologist and project lead for the Hempel Foundation’s biodiversity portfolio in Denmark. He noted that large herbivores such as wild cattle and similar wild animals have played a crucial role in nature for hundreds of thousands of years.

“They are referred to as ‘keystone species’ because their impact is so important to other species,” said Hjarsen.

Animal health checks preceded the move of the Tauros cattle, including screening for diseases of concern to European cattle. Field teams will continue welfare monitoring alongside vegetation and wildlife surveys. The site will also track costs and practicality for scaling up. 

What ancient DNA reveals

Sequencing the DNA of a 6,750-year-old British aurochs documented gene flow into ancestors of British and Irish breeds. This strengthens the case that wild bulls occasionally bred into domestic herds.

That work also mapped how selection for behavior, growth, and immunity shaped modern cattle.

Ancient DNA from Iberia adds a wider view. Researchers report repeated interbreeding between domestic cattle and local aurochs since the Neolithic, with wild ancestry stabilizing around 20 percent over the past 4,000 years.

These findings help explain why some traditional European breeds still carry traits that fit living with rough forage and open range. They also support the logic behind choosing old, hardy lineages for a backbreeding program.

When grazing restores habitats

Ecologists expect to see more structural diversity, with short turf patches, tussock islands, and scrub shaved back in places. In other regions, controlled experiments suggest large herbivores can slow plant community change and help check diversity loss.

If Tauros cattle maintain open habitats, ground-nesting birds and sun-loving insects should benefit. Over time, managers will look for fewer mowing passes, lower brush cutting costs, and stronger natural regeneration where grazing patterns create safe microsites for seedlings.

The work will not answer every question about rewilding in one go. It can, however, deliver clear, measurable data that helps Denmark decide where big grazers fit into future nature policy.

The study is published in Heredity.

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