Herd of tauros to be released into Highlands to recreate aurochs effect

The charity Trees for Life is releasing a herd of tauros into the Highlands as part of a research project to boost biodiversity, education and ecotourism. Photograph: © Grazelands Rewilding

A herd of beefy, long-horned tauros are to be released into a Highlands rewilding project to replicate the ecological role of the aurochs, an extinct, huge herbivore that is the wild ancestor of cattle.

The tauros have been bred in the Netherlands in recent years to fill the niche vacated by the aurochs, which once shaped landscapes and strengthened wildlife across Europe.