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This is supposed to be a photo of an auroch.

From this site in French http://www.poya2000.ch/

A prehistoric auroch painting

From: http://aurochs.lozere-online.com/troupeau.htm

an excellent commentary on aurochs

History of the aurochs in Poland

An extract:
SUMMARY

In the present paper the author submits a short outline of the history of the aurochs in Poland, the country in which that species survived the longest. The last specimen died in the royal forests of Jaktorów in Masovia at the beginning of the XVIIth century. The sources of the present study are as follows: documents proclaimed by kings, old chronicles, descriptions found in literature, old illustrations, etc. Among the reasons why that species of the relic fauna of the Pleistocene epoch survived so long are those the author draws attention to: i) the special natural conditions, i.e. abundance of forests and climate, offered in Poland, especially in early times, ii) some cultural elements, the latter being of special interest to him. The legal protection extended to the aurochs by the State found its expression in the regale or the king's order concerning hunting of these animals; this was strictly observed, as is pronouncedly recorded in the historical sources which say that in the XIIIth century the aurochs were to be found only in the province of Masovia. The local princes of the Piast dynasty, and later on the kings of Poland, made no concessions of their exclusive right to hunt that animal, not even to the greatest magnates, both ecclesiastical and secular. They themselves never abused the hunting law as far as the aurochs was concerned. Considering the situation of the aurochs in the light of that regale and of the hunting law, the conclusion is offered that the fact of excluding the aurochs from the hunting law and extending to it "a sacred privilege of immunity" which, according to an old custom, only the king was not obliged to obey, was the major factor which contributed to such a long period of survival of that species. This exceptional and almost personal care of the Polish sovereigns for these animals and their intentional will to save them for posterity caused the prolongation of the period of survival of that magnificent species up to the year 1627, in which the last auroch cow died a natural death in her haunts, as is stated in the report of the royal inspection performed in the year 1630.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The fact of the extinction of the last aurochs (Bos taurus primigenius) in the royal forests of Jaktorowski at Mazowsze in Poland at the beginning of the 17th century is well known. It was the last natural reserve of that splendid, once admired animal, in Europe. The original respect for aurochs on the part of Homo sapiens is shown in the famous palaeolithic frescoes of Magdalenian Lascaux and Altamira. Detailed and admiring descriptions of this animal are found in the classical writings of Tacitus (Annales IV, 72 and Germania 45) Giulius Caesar (Commentarii de bello Gallico IV) and Pliny (Historia naturalis VIII, 38).

Such a lucky long survival of the original species of aurochs in Poland prompts the question "Why?".

Apart from favourable natural conditions, such as the abundance of forest, a favourable climate and so on, there was undoubtedly another equally important cultural factor, namely the legal protection of this statechosen animal, which has its origin in the deep medieval period.

Also

Although Aurochs seem to have become extinct in England at least 2,500 BP, they may have survived in places like Caithness until the 9 th or 10 th century AD. The last Auroch died in 1627 in a Polish park, but primitive races of cattle still live in the Scottish Highlands. There are also herds of wild white cattle in places such as Chillingham in Northumberland

From: http://www.bigcats.org/esa/extinctions.html

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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