Recently Extinct Animals - Selective Breeding

All of our domestic animals have wild ancestors. The wolf became the dog, the wild boar the domestic pig, the aurochs became domestic cattle, the tarpan the domestic horse, etc. All domestic breeds are created by selective breeding; people bred animals that had the characteristics that they wanted. But some of the wild ancestors have disappeared from the earth, such as the aurochs and the tarpan. The selective breeding experiments of the Heck brothers, largely with domestic horses and cattle, are well known. The aim was to breed animals which resemble the wild ancestors of both the domestic horse and domestic cattle. They have tried and have partly succeed in re-creating the aurochs and the tarpan by selective breeding with the domestic breeds with qualities of their wild ancestors. This could be done because much of the genetic material of the extinct wild ancestors survived in the domestic progeny. The same are some scientist trying today with some wild animal species that have lost some subspecies. They're trying to re-create the extinct quagga (Equus quagga quagga) and the Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo).

Aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius)

Heck Cattle

Already in 1835, the Polish zoologist Jarocki pleaded in an article to undertake and attempt to get the aurochs back in its original form. But it lasted still almost hundred year before someone actively began with an attempt to re-breed the aurochs. The brothers Lutz and Heinz Heck have both made attempts to recreate the aurochs in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. Both brothers did this through cross several cattle breeds, which possessed aurochs characteristics according to them, and to select the offspring. Each brother used his own selection of cattle breeds. Heinz began his experiment in the Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich. Lutz began a bit later than his brother with his experiment in Berlin. The result of their experiments to re-breed the aurochs was according to the Heck brothers quickly achieved and had a strong resemblance to the real aurochs. Lutz released his Heck cattle into the wild in large nature areas in Germany and Poland, but Heinz kept his Heck cattle exclusively in zoos and small game parks. Most likely the Heck cattle of Lutz have not survived World War II, and do only the Heck cattle of Heinz remain today. After the war, individual breeders have bred the Heck cattle to their own (often wrong) insight. Today, Heck cattle can be found in many places, like zoos and nature parks. (Van Vuure, 2003)

Photo: Heck Cattle in nature reserve the Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands. Photographed by GerardM and released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Relatively fast after the creation of Heck cattle there came criticism to as well the execution as the result of the re-breeding experiment. The criticism addressed especially on the image on how the aurochs looked like, that the brothers Heck had formed themselves. This image was created by a mixture of truth and mostly phantasy. There was even a difference of opinion between the brothers over how the aurochs looked like. Furthermore there was criticism on the way they bred and selected and on the speed on which they reached their end result. Heinz worked at most 12 years on his experiment, and Lutz only at most 11 years. The selection criteria were vague and broad, and there was no good administration kept of the crossings that had been made. The re-breeding experiment of Lutz and Heinz Heck is characterized by an incompetent and untransparent way of working. (Van Vuure, 2003)

When we now compare the Heck cattle and the real aurochs, we see that there is little similarity between the two. Only the colour of the fur of some Heck cattle is similar, but there are also many Heck cattle with a wrong fur colour. This is caused by the recessive genetic characteristics which still exist in Heck cattle and originated from the used domesticated European cattle breeds. Other characteristics, like the shape of the horns and body size, do not resemble the real aurochs. And the sexual dimorphism is almost gone in Heck cattle. The Heck brothers did not have all the information we have today, but for example the horn form was also known in their times. We don't even know everything about the aurochs today, e.g. the exact nuance in coat colour on each part of the body is not yet known and more research is necessary to determine the exact shoulder height. (Van Vuure, 2003)

A cattle population that as a whole has more characteristics of the aurochs than the current Heck cattle is that of the Spanish Fighting cattle. Within the heterogeneous population of the Spanish fighting cattle not only more aurochs characteristics are present, but often also combined in one individual. Within this populations there exist for example red-brown cows with a small utter and the aurochs horn shape, and black-brown bulls with a light eel stripe, a light snout and the aurochs horn shape. The selection and crossing of these Spanish bull fight can probably reach the target to recreate the aurochs much faster and better than has been done by the Heck brothers and their Heck cattle. (Van Vuure, 2003)

The Heck cattle of today can still be improved, and that is also done today in for example Germany in the area of Lippe (Soest, Westfalen), with the help of Spanish fighting cattle, Sayaguesa cattle, Chianina cattle and some other cattle breeds. This might result in Heck cattle that really do resemble the Aurochs. (Van Vuure, 2003)

Diarmid Cattle

Diarmid Cattle. Photo courtesy: Michael McDermott In 1989, Michael McDermott began in Northome (Minnesota, USA) on his small family farm a breeding program in need to develop a very hardy commercial breeding cow. He soon discovered a far greater purpose for his cattle, filling the niche left by an extinct animal, the aurochs. Michael McDermott created Dairmid cattle, which are the result of artful breeding techniques combining the desirable traits of the Scottish Highlander, the Belgian Blue and the Angus cow. He claims that this three-way cross has the form and function of the aurochs and its genetics can be maintained from available beef breeds. His method and result might prove useful in the commercial beef industry, while also lending a hand to the very concept of sustainable forestry and agriculture.

The have produced thirteen colours, but does one ideally fit the extinct aurochs? According to Michael McDermott they have produced the basic black with red points. The majority of Diarmid cattle does not resemble the colour of the aurochs yet. Diarmid cattle are also smaller than the extinct aurochs. They are one foot taller than a Scottish Highland bull, but smaller than dairy bulls of Friesian and Brown Swiss. According to Michael McDermott, they do have a great deal of sexual dimorphism, the cows being smaller than their male counterparts. The skeleton has not yet been compared with aurochs remains. For the horn shape they rely on the Highland contribution, and found that the Belgian influence aids in producing the aurochs curve. like Heck cattle, the Diarmid Cattle does not resemble the aurochs completely, but it is certainly a very interesting attempt to re-create the extinct aurochs.

The breeding program ended in Kelliher in 2004, when they had to sell the majority of their animals. However their efforts continue. Their next breeding experiment will begin with the Breed Bazadaise on Highland Cows. For more information visit their website: Blue Ox Farms. Photo: A blue Diarmid Cattle bull. Courtesy by Michael McDermott. All rights reserved.

Barbary Lion (Panthera leo leo)

The former popularity of the Barbary Lion as a zoo animal provides the only hope to ever see it again in the wild in North Africa. After years of research into the science of the Barbary Lion and stories of surviving examples, WildLink International, in collaboration with Oxford University, launched their ambitious International Barbary Lion Project. They are using the very latest DNA techniques to identify the DNA 'fingerprint' of the Barbary Lion subspecies. WildLink International has taken bone samples from remains of Barbary Lions in Museums across Europe, like those in Brussels, Paris, Turin and others. These samples are returned to Oxford University where the science team is extracting the DNA sequence that identifies the Barbary as a separate subspecies.

Although the Barbary is officially extinct, WildLink International had identified a handful of lions in captivity around the world that are descended from the original Barbary Lion, like the royal lions in Temara Zoo in Rabat, Morocco. These descendants will be tested against the DNA fingerprint and the degree of any hybridisation (from crossbreeding) can then be determined. The best candidates will then enter a selective breeding programme that will 'breed back' the Barbary Lion. The final phase of the project will see the lions released into a National Park in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Photo: a supposed Atlas or Barbary Lion in Parc de la Téte d'Or, Lyon, France. Photographed by Cyrille Deliry in 2005. Histoires Naturelles du Grand Père Soulcie.

WildLink International disappeared after a while. The Extinction Website was in the dark as to what happened to WildLink International. WildLink International and the University of Oxford had made the deal that WildLink International would raise money for the project and that the university would do the research. With the disappearance of WildLink International no money was raised.

In 2005, Preservation Station Inc. (http://www.barbarylion.com) published new information: With unwavering determination to see this magnificent lion remain on this earth for generations to come, Dr. Noboyuki Yamaguchi, a scientist from the University of Oxford, is at the heart of the scientific efforts for the Barbary Lion genetics. He has used is own funding for as long as he was able to further the scientific research on Barbary Lions, but with limited funding available, research time may be running out. If you would like to help fund this most important conservation effort, please contact Dr. Yamaguchi and help him and Preservation Station Inc. raise the necessary $150.000 US (about €110.000) and allow them to save this awesome royal bloodline. If you know of any wealthy philanthropists, be sure and send them to Dr. Yamaguchi. Dr. Dan York and his colleagues at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan (USA), are trying to do some DNA research on their own and hopefully they will be able to find something. (Preservation Station, 2005) Sadly, due completely to lack of funding, the project was on hold until the funds are raised. Those people and institutions with project lions are trying to just maintain the bloodlines allowing only minimal breeding when absolutely necessary. For more information please visit the

In June 2009, The Extinction Website has been contacted by Wildlink International with new information. This resurrected non-profit organisation from Aldington (Kent, England, United Kingdom) builds directly on the work of the old WildLink International. An urgent scientific population assessment of Panthera leo leo is being conducted by Pete Thompson of Wildlink International in association with Professor Helmut Hemmer (IUCN Cat Specialist Group Member) and Dr Joachim Burger of the University of Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany). The priority now is to complete the Urgent Population Assessment without further delay.

Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus)

The last Tarpan with pure Tarpan genes had disappeared, but many of the horses in Central Europe had some Tarpan genes, because these domestic horses or their ancestors were crossbred with the wild Tarpan. In Poland these horses are called “Koniks”, which means “small horse”, but refers to several breeds. These Koniks show many primitive features, for example one breed has the dun coat and eel stripe, and are called “Bilgoraj Koniks”. The Bilgoraj Konik has become the target for scientists attempting to recreate the Tarpan. The koniks are the direct descendents of the extinct Tarpan.

Heck Horse

The German zoologist and Director of the Berlin Zoo, professor Lutz Heck, and Heinz Heck who was working at the Tierpark Hellabrunn (Munich Zoo), started in the early 1930’s a selective breeding programme in the hope of bringing back the extinct tarpan. They believed that all living creatures were the result of their genetic make-up and that genes could be rearranged like the pieces of a puzzle to recreate certain vanished species. Only breeds that still had living descendants could be recreated because those living breeds would be a source for genetic material. Several European pony breeds had descended from the Tarpan. Primarily the Heck Brothers selected Polish Koniks, Icelandic Ponies, Swedish Gotlands and Polish Primitive Horses from the preserve in Bialowieza. Mares from these breeds were then mated to Przewalski stallions because the Heck brothers felt that the blood of the wild Przewalski would serve as a catalyst to draw out the latent Tarpan characteristics dormant in these more modern breeds. At first the Przewalski horse influence was too strong, but by 1960’s he succeeded to produce a horse, which resembled the skeletal evidence of the extinct Tarpan in the archives of Munich Zoo. The first bred back "Tarpan" or Heck Horse, a colt, was born May 22, 1933 at the Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich, Germany. These horses still survive as Heck Horses. Photo: Heck horse in Tierpark Sababurg (Germany). Photographed by Melanie Nayyal in 2005. All rights reserved.

Konik Horse

In 1936, professor Tadeusz Vetulani of Poznan University also began attempts to breed the Tarpan back to its original state. The Polish government commandeered all the Koniks, which displayed Tarpan-like features. Two of the horses, a stallion called “Tref” and a mare called “Czajka”, even turned white in winter, but face, fetlocks, mane and tail retained the dark colour, which the extinct Tarpan also did. After 3 years there were 18 horses at Bialowieza, 8 having been born in the Bialowieza forest. Another reserve was established in the Popielno forest. The result of this selective breeding programme is that semi-wild herd of modern "Tarpans" or Konik Horses can be seen today. Many of these Konik Horses can be found in nature reserves and parks in Europe.

The recreated Konik Horse and Heck Horse are strong horses. It is resistant to harshness of climate, a prolific breeder that rarely aborts, great fertility, a strong immune system, its wound heals without attention, it is used to foraging in the wild, and can live on next to nothing. However these recreations resembles the original extinct Tarpan in its skeleton, colour type, there is no genetic evidence that these modern "Tarpans" are really the same as the original extinct Tarpan. One characteristic of the true Tarpan that as well the Heck brothers as professor Vetulai did not succeed in recreating are the upright manes.

Photo: Konik Horses in nature reserve the Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands. Photographed by GerardM and released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Hegardt or Stroebel's Horse

In the mid-1960s, Harry Hegardt started in Redmond (Oregon, USA) a selective breeding project dedicated to recreate the extinct Tarpan from diluted genes still found in North American feral mustangs herds and in working horses on local ranches. He started to get the right colour, the right size and then he even started getting the stand-up mane. Harry Hegardt died in 1990. His herd of 20 horses were bought by Lenette and Gordon Stroebel who continued his project on their ranch in Prineville (Oregon, USA). They eventually named their ranch Genesis Equines. Like Hegardt, the Stroebels believe that strong Tarpan genes lie hidden in the wild mustang herds. That’s because those mustangs are descendants of horses that escaped from Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s. It is assumed that the Spanish conquistadors took some horses with Sorraia (a primitive Iberian horse breed probably closely related to the Tarpan) origins to the Americas, as there has been mtDNA evidence that has found Sorraian gentotypes in a couple of feral horse groups of western USA. The Stroebels capture horses from the wild, animals with characteristics of the extinct Tarpan, and breed them to draw out these characteristics. The future of the herd is uncertain, depending on whether or not a suitable source of new genetic material is found, but the Stroebels are hopeful and proud of their little herd of unique horses. (Flaccus 2002; Richins 2006)

Quagga (Equus quagga quagga)

In 1971, Reinhold Rau visited museums in Europe to examine most of the preserved Quagga specimens, after having dismantled and re-mounted the Quagga foal at the South African Museum in Cape Town in 1969/70. During this tour he discussed the feasibility of attempting to re-breed the Quagga with Dr. Th. Haltenorth, mammalogist, at Munich, Germany. Dr. Haltenorth saw merits in such a plan and expressed his surprise that such a programme had not already been started in South Africa.

Having critically examined twenty one of the twenty three preserved Quaggas, and being familiar with the high degree of variation in the plains zebra (Equus quagga) populations inhabiting the Etosha National Park in Namibia, the Kruger National Park, as well as parks in Zululand and Swaziland, Rau decided to work towards the implementation of a Quagga re-breeding programme. Contact was made in 1975 with zoologists and Park authorities, in the hope of stimulating interest in the project. Reactions to his proposals were on the whole negative, which was not surprising, considering that most English language scientific literature considered the Quagga as a separate species, a view, if correct, would render any attempt to re-breed the Quagga a futile exercise. However, Rau did not abandon his re-breeding proposal, as he considered the Quagga to be a subspecies of the plains zebra. The plan received new impetus in the 1980's by molecular studies that compared sequences of genetic code of Mitochondrial DNA extracted from tissue samples from a Quagga's skin. Comparison of these sequences with those of the plains zebra, demonstrated their close affinity, at least with reference to the sequenced genes, indicating that the Quagga was a subspecies of the plains zebra.

Then came another fortunate event. The retired veterinarian, Dr. J. F. Warning of Somerset West, contacted Rau during the latter part of 1985. He was an expert in animal husbandry and had been associated in horse and cattle breeding for more than 50 years in Germany and Namibia. He was a friend of Prof. Lutz Heck and had spent much time with him during the latter's stay in Namibia. Gradually a more positive attitude was taken towards the proposed Quagga re-breeding programme, as the DNA examination results appeared in publications from 1984 onward. Influential persons became involved and during March 1986 the project committee was formed. During March 1987 nine zebras, out of approximately two thousand five hundred, were selected and captured at the Etosha National Park. Their capture and arrival at the specially constructed breeding camp complex at the Nature Conservation farm 'Vrolijkheid', near Robertson, in the Cape, on 24th April 1987, marked the start of the Quagga re-breeding project.

An important mile-stone in the 13 year history of the Quagga Project has been reached on the 29th June 2000. The Quagga Project Association, represented by its chairman Dr Mike Cluver and South African National Parks by its CEO Mavuso Msimang have signed a co-operation agreement. While active co-operation between the two bodies started with the translocation of the 14 Quagga Project zebras into the Karoo National Park during 1998, the now signed agreement changes the Quagga Project from a private initiative to an officially recognised and logistically supported project.

The selected plain zebra's had some Quagga characteristics, such as a brownish basic colour, much reduced striping, white tail-bush, etc. The aim of the Quagga project is to attempt to breed through selection a population of plains zebras, which in its external appearance, and possibly genetically as well, will be closer, if not identical to the former population known as 'Quagga'. The photo made by March Turnbull These new 'Quaggas' will be reintroduced into reserves in its former habitat. For more information about this project, see www.quaggaproject.org.