Like many domesticated animals, the cows of today descend from a wild breed. Let’s take a look at what remains of the ancient aurochs, the original wild cow.
Aurochs, German for “original cow (ox)”
Aurochs portrayed in a prehistoric cave painting in the Grotte de Lascaux, France:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-cave-drawing-faceoff-601x394.jpg)
Cro-Magnon graffito of Bos primigenius (aurochs) in Grotta del Romito, Papasidero, Italy:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-Grotta_del_romito-601x451.jpg)
The violent cup of Vaphio showing an aurochs hunt, Greece, (15th century B.C.):
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-Gold-cup-Vafio-1500-1450-BC-601x400.jpg)
Coat of arms of Moldavia from 1481:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-coat-of-arms-of-Moldavia-1481-1.jpg)
Hunting horn of the last aurochs bull that belonged to King Sigismund III (1566-1632) of Poland:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-hunting-horn-of-Sigismund-III-of-Poland-601x405.jpg)
Illustration from Sigismund von Herberstein’s book published in 1556 captioned : “I am ‘urus’, tur in Polish, aurox in German (dunces call me bison) lit. (the) ignorant (ones) had given me the name (of) Bison”; Latin original: Urus sum, polonis Tur, germanis Aurox: ignari Bisontis nomen dederant:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-drawing-Tur-ZHerberstein-601x417.jpg)
The inscription reads: “The Aurochs – Bos primigenius bojanus, the ancestor of domestic cattle, lived in this forest Jaktorów until the year 1627.”:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-Jaktorow-pomnik-tura-601x451.jpg)
16th-century illustration by Teodoro Ghisi:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-bull-pose-601x486.jpg)
Charles Hamilton Smith’s copy of a painting possibly dating to the 16th century:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/auroch-16th-century-depiction--601x358.jpg)
An aurochs bull used in heraldry: Coat of arms of Mecklenburg region, Germany (1866-1934)
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-Mecklenburg_Arms-601x671.jpg)
Preserved skull of an aurochs:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-skull-isolated-black-601x401.jpg)
Mounted skeleton of an aurochs bull at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-bull-Copenhagen_Aurochse-601x778.jpg)
Attempts to revive the Aurochs in Germany, 1920s and 1930s
From Wikipedia, Heck Cattle:
In the early 1920s, two German zoo directors (in Berlin and Munich), the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck, began a selective breeding program to breed back the aurochs into existence from the descendant domesticated cattle.
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-ns-land-map.jpg)
German zoo-goers visit the bison enclosure in the Schorfheide, 1938:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-ns-bison-zoo-601x407.jpg)
Newer photos of the Heck cattle
Write up on the breed: Heck Cattle
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-Heck-Cattle-601x343.jpg)
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-breed-heck-profile-601x362.jpg)
Size comparison. Top two are the documented size of the Aurochs, bottom two are the cattle bred by Heinz Heck. You’ll notice Heck’s cattle are smaller than the original Aurochs.
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-vs-heck-cattle-size-comparison-601x488.jpg)
From Derek Gow’s Upcott Grange Farm in Devon, England:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-heck-cow-roar-601x407.jpg)
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-heck-fight-601x407.jpg)
Unfortunately, Derek Gow was forced to reduce the size of his herd in 2015 because they were too aggressive. Read: Devon farmer forced to offload aggressive Nazi-bred ‘super cows’ from The Guardian.
Taurus Cattle Project
From Wikipedia, Taurus Cattle:
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Biologischer Umweltschutz, a conservation group in Germany, started to crossbreed Heck cattle with southern-European primitive breeds in 1996, with the goal of increasing the aurochs-likeness of certain Heck cattle herds. These crossbreeds are called Taurus cattle. It is intended to bring in aurochs-like features that are supposedly missing in Heck cattle using Sayaguesa Cattle and Chianina, and to a lesser extent Spanish Fighting Cattle (Lidia). The same breeding program is being carried out in Latvia,[50] in Lille Vildmose National Park in Denmark, and in the Hungarian Hortobágy National Park. The program in Hungary also includes Hungarian Grey cattle and Watusi.
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-taurus-cattle-herd-601x399.jpg)
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-breed-tauros-program-bull-netherlands-601x478.jpeg)
Cattle breeds used by the Tauros Program to emulate the ancient Aurochs: Limia, Maremmana Primitiva, Maronesa, Podolica, Sayaguesa, and Pajuna.
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/cattle-breeds-tauros-programme-601x380.jpg)
Aurochs-reconstitué in France
Currently there’s a farmer in France, Xavier Chanssard, producing rare breeds for research and meat production including what he calls the Aurochs Green.
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-blonde-france-601x301.jpg)
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/auroch-vert-reconstitute.jpg)
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/auroch-vert-farmer.jpg)
Check out his website here: aurochsvert.com
Found this Aurochs historical timeline on his website:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-french-timeline-map-601x383.jpg)
Historical distribution of the species:
![](https://cms.getrawmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/aurochs-distribution-map-601x333.jpg)