International Journal of
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Mini Review Volume 10 Issue 2
Aurochs revival and rewilding to nature
František Zigo, Zuzana Lacková
Received: August 25, 2026 | Published: September 7, 2026
Citation: Zigo F, Lacková Z. Aurochs revival and rewilding to natures. Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol. 2026;10(2):44‒46. DOI: 10.15406/ijawb.2026.10.00252
Abstract
The aurochs ( Bos primigenius) is the ancestor of all modern cattle ( Bos taurus) and was one of the most important animals in human history. This mega-ruminant roamed across Europe, Asia, and North Africa for 2 million years, shaping ecosystems. Although it is now extinct, its DNA remains alive and distributed across many ancient, primitive cattle breeds. Many breeders and organizations aim to bring the aurochs back as a functional animal into the wild, where it served as a vital part of the ecosystem for millennia. Therefore, over the past 20 years, scientists have aimed to create a modern equivalent of this long-extinct animal based on DNA analysis of skeletal remains, using the “back-breeding” technique with select cattle breeds whose physical traits, behavior, and genetics closely match those of the original wild aurochs. The goal of this method is to create a physically and genetically similar, self-sufficient grazing cattle species living in herds of at least 150 animals across several European rewilding areas. Ecologists believe its comeback is vital to protecting biodiversity in parts of Europe.
Keywords: cattle, Bos primigenius, genetic analysis, back-breeding, rewildin
©2026 Zigo, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.