Rewilding campaigners have announced plans to introduce a herd of tauros cattle - a giant breed bred resembling the ancient aurochs - onto a Scottish estate.
Trees for Life's project would be a UK-first, with the immediate aim of it to boost biodiversity, but outcomes like meat production and agri-tourism could be explored later.
The rewilding charity aims to introduce a herd of up to 15 tauros from the Netherlands to its 4,000-hectare Dundreggan estate, near Loch Ness, in 2026.
The muscular, long-horned tauros have been bred to be as similar as possible to the ancient aurochs, a mega-herbivore which roamed Europe.
Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, said the project would allow the charity to study how the cattle could be "a powerful ally for tackling the nature and climate emergencies".
He added: “Introducing the aurochs-like tauros to the Highlands four centuries after their wild ancestors were driven to extinction will refill a vital but empty ecological niche."
Tauros were bred from ancient European breeds to form a substitute to the ancient auroch, in both appearance and behaviour.
The aurochs once dominated Europe prior to their extinction in approximately 1627, which was due to widescale hunting and habitat loss.
The Tauros bull can reach up to 180cm tall at the shoulder, making it almost equivalent to the assumed heights of their extinct predecessor.
According to Trees for Life, the tauros promote ecological advantages to their habitats through the facility of a diverse range of wildlife and biodiversity.
Among these may include seed dispersal via the tauros’ fur, the capacity for greater plant germination in their overturned soil, and soil support through their nutrient rich manure.
The project is in the process of releasing a herd of around 15 Tauros at its 10,000-acre Dundreggan estate, located in Glenmoriston, just 8km from Loch Ness.
