• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Ranchers.net

Bid under way to bring back extinct cattle



United Press International

Feb. 22, 2010



POZNAN, Poland, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Scientists in Poland say they plan to use DNA samples in an attempt to revive a breed of extinct giant cattle that died out in Europe in 1627.



The auroch, also known as the urus, resembled modern cattle except for their imposing size -- 6 feet tall at the shoulders and weighing at least a ton, the Poland.pl news site reported Monday.




Scientists at the Human Genetics Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the northwestern city of Poznan are mapping out their plan, but will need some assistance from much smaller animals first, Professor Ryszard Slomski said.



"First though, we need mice and rabbits to find out if the DNA can function properly," he said.



The last known auroch died in 1627 in central Poland of natural causes and the cow's skull is in a Swedish museum, the report said.



The animals' habitats are now populated by European bison and if the breed can be revived, would not be able to co-exist with them, the report said. Slomski said he has heard from officials in Holland that they would welcome reintroducing the giant cattle there.



UPI.com
Top