Heck cattle
The Heck cattle , often inappropriately referred to as " aurochs " or as a "backbreeding", is a breed of domestic cattle that emerged in the 1920s . It is named after the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck , who attempted to breed images from various domestic cattle breeds. Heck cattle are widely used in zoos , farms, and grazing projects. The largest population lives in what is now the Oostvaardersplassen in almost wild conditions. It is one of several auroch-like cattle .
classification
Like most domestic cattle, the Heck cattle are descendants of the aurochs, which died out in 1627 . The cattle domesticated from this wild cattle are placed in a species with the Ur and were probably able to produce fertile offspring with it. The Heck cattle is not, as is often wrongly claimed, a wild animal, but a domestic cattle breed ( breed code AO 85), which was created through cross-breeding of other domestic cattle. Poettinger (2011) writes:
“Due to the history of breeding, the Heck cattle is a landrace , i. H. a cross between Central European dual-purpose breeds , into which cattle originating from other climatic zones were crossed, and whose demands on climate and nutrition are no lower than with the usual dual-purpose breeds. "
history
Origin and background
The brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck (then heads of the zoos in Berlin and Munich) crossed several European cattle breeds in the 1920s in the hope of obtaining an image of the extinct aurochs through selection. On the one hand, the two zoologists wanted to convey an impression of the appearance of the aurochs through living animals. Especially since the aurochs have been confused or identified with the bison since its disappearance . On the other hand, the Hecks also hoped to make a contribution to the conservation of the species by recreating the aurochs. Heinz Heck commented on this as follows:
“Another reason lay in the thought that if humans cannot be prevented from raging so madly against themselves and all creatures and exterminating the animals in series that it is a very pleasant thing if at least one animal species does he has already exterminated [...] is resurrected to new life. "
Heinz and Lutz Heck sometimes used different original breeds, and their breeding results were only partially similar. Since the Berlin breeding line did not survive the Second World War, the breeds used by Lutz Heck (including Spanish combat cattle) are only relevant if the brothers exchanged breeding animals with one another. However, the records are inconclusive in this regard. Unlike his brother, Heinz Heck used rather less the original breeds from southern Europe than highly bred dual-purpose breeds, such as the Angler cattle , black and white lowland cattle , Brown cattle and Murnau-Werdenfelser cattle . Also were steppe cattle , Scottish highland cattle and Corsican beef widely used; these last four breeds are likely to have had the greatest influence on the Heck cattle. The "first Heck cattle" was a bull born in 1932 named "Glachl", which was 75% Corsican cattle and 25% a cross between lowland bull, angler cattle, steppe cattle and highland cattle. A cow was then born from the same parents. These two individuals, like their grandfather (a half-steppe cattle), were decisive for the further development of the Heck breed. H. Heck crossed these further with highland cattle, steppe cattle, Braunvieh and Murnau-Werdenfelser to add mass.
Since the Heck brothers did not have an exact picture of the aurochs, they thought their cattle, with its almost wild color and longer horns, were "backbred aurochs" and proclaimed the resurrection of the primordial cattle. However, the Heck cattle was and is far removed from the goal of matching the aurochs as much as possible.
Lutz Heck's efforts were later supported by Hermann Göring , who wanted to "resurrect" the aurochs and let them be released into the wild . In the autumn of 1938 the first animals were released in the Schorfheide and Göring's Rominter Heide hunting grounds . More were settled in Białowieża in northeast Poland in 1941 , after Göring declared the primeval forest and surrounding forests on a total area of 260,000 hectares to be a “Germanic primeval forest” with “primeval German” hunting animals and had it forcibly freed from all inhabitants. Ultimately, the further course of the war slowed Goring's efforts.
After 1945
39 animals survived the Second World War , most of them from the Munich line. Since no uniform, binding breeding goals were set for a long time and no rigorous, coordinated selection breeding process took place, a very heterogeneous population developed in which specimens with unwanted characteristics repeatedly appeared. Occasionally, other breeds were crossed, such as the Rote Höhenvieh and steppe cattle. In Duisburg Zoo one was in the 1950s Watusi cattle crossed. Today, many large-horned Heck cattle, including the herd in the Neandertal game reserve or the Wörth / Steinberg breeding line, still have parts of this cross. At some locations attempts are being made to visually approximate Heck cattle to the aurochs by crossing large, robust breeds with corresponding characteristics ( see Taurus cattle ) .
Appearance and properties
The Association for the Promotion of the "Aurochs" (VFA) eV has set up breeding goals for the tail cattle, which are based on the morphological characteristics of the aurochs, but in reality the tail cattle deviates more or more from these goals and thus from the assumed appearance of the aurochs less far.
Size and proportions
A typical rear bull has an average height of 140 cm and a cow about 130 cm at the withers , with a weight of about 600 kg. Bulky bulls weigh up to 900 kg. This makes the Heck cattle slightly smaller than modern dairy and meat breeds from intensive agriculture and much smaller than the aurochs, which on average had a height at the withers of 160–180 cm for bulls and 150 cm for cows. Also in the body proportions there are clear differences between Heck cattle and aurochs. In the latter, the height at the withers was roughly the same as the length of the body, which was due to the long legs. The legs of the Heck cattle are usually a lot shorter and the trunk more elongated than that of the aurochs. Furthermore, strong shoulder and neck muscles created a curved back line in the aurochs. The wild cattle Ur probably had an athletic stature. However, the Heck cattle usually have a barrel-shaped body typical for domestic cattle and not a particularly pronounced neck and shoulder area.
Skull and horns
The skull of the Heck cattle corresponds in relative size and construction to that of other domestic cattle with a rather short snout. Aurochs, however, had a large, elongated skull with a comparatively long snout. Due to u. a. Highland cattle and steppe cattle as starting breeds, Heck cattle often have relatively long horns. However, the horn size can vary greatly depending on the individual and breed line. The horns are very variable in shape and are partly still reminiscent of those of the original breeds. They are usually light to white in color with a dark tip. The typical horn shape of the aurochs in terms of curvature, thickness and length can only be seen in a few Heck cattle (e.g. some on the island of Wörth ). Most Heck cattle have horns that differ more or less from the Ur in these aspects and point too far up and / or outward and are either too short or too thin.
Coat color
As with other almost wild-colored cattle breeds, the calves are born brown and change color in the first months of life. The bulls are mostly black or dark brown with a light eel line on their backs (which can also be absent) and often show a lighter colored so-called colored saddle on their backs, which probably did not occur in the European aurochs. There are also light, reddish-beige to gray bulls. The cows are similarly colored, their palette ranges from black to reddish-brown, some also beige or grayish. Both sexes have a mostly white-haired mouth, which, depending on its expression, stands out from the black head hair. Many Heck cattle have blonde forehead fringes or curls. The animals protect themselves in winter by a dense, dull winter coat. Gray or greyish animals, which are reminiscent of steppe cattle, appear again and again. With beige colored cows or light colored bulls, dark eye spots are often found. The summer dress is usually short and shiny. Occasionally there are specimens with white spots on the abdomen or on the forehead. Individual specimens, for example in Oostvaardersplassen, can even be completely piebald, similar to the black and white lowland cattle .
Gender dimorphism
The aurochs had a pronounced sexual dimorphism in terms of body structure, horns and, above all, coat color. This is partly present in Heck cattle like some other cattle, but less pronounced than in aurochs. Bulls are usually heavier and usually darker in color, but lighter colored bulls and completely black cows can also occur. However, in the inhomogeneous breed there are also specimens that show a clear gender dimorphism in terms of coat color, as well as lines in which color gender dimorphism is completely absent. As a result, the colored sex dimorphism in Heck cattle is often rather unclear and that with regard to body size is only weakly pronounced.
Heterogeneity
Heck cattle are by no means uniform, but rather show considerable heterogeneity in their appearance. Not only do they vary in terms of resemblance to the primal, but also repeatedly occurring individuals show clear resemblance to the original breeds from which the Heck cattle was bred. Characteristics of these individuals can be a beige or gray coat color, a markings typical of domestic cattle, short or steppe cattle-like horns, large udders and other undesirable characteristics. In Oostvaardersplassen, where no selective breeding takes place, this heterogeneity is even more pronounced. The light-colored animals were selected in individual breeding lines and a comparatively stable appearance was achieved.
robustness
Like other robust cattle, Heck cattle develop a winter coat that protects the animals from temperatures down to −25 ° C. Observations in the Hortobágyi National Park have shown that Heck cattle are less able to cope with cold and snowy winters than the Przewalski horses that are also used there . This is partly attributed to the different digestive systems of cattle ( ruminants ) and horses ( hind fermentors ), partly also to a possibly inadequate coat and the loss of heat and energy through the large udder . For these reasons, the Heck cattle in the barren Hungarian reserve depend on additional feeding in winter, without which only some of the cattle would probably survive. Like other robust cattle, Heck cattle are considered disease-resistant, hardy and cold-tolerant compared to highly bred stable breeds. Provided that the calves are set and reared outdoors, robust cattle can be kept outdoors all year round in Central Europe.
However, this is not a specific characteristic of the Heck cattle. Sometimes even typical milk and meat breeds such as the Hinterwälder cattle or Murnau-Werdenfels cattle are suitable for this type of husbandry. It should be noted that even in most grazing projects , Heck cattle are not wild, but under veterinary care and are fed to them in winter. In the first three decades, the Heck cattle lived in Oostvaardersplassen without any care or additional feeding, until the population increased significantly and numerous animals perished in harsh winters. In view of the public pressure that this created, it was decided in 2010 to feed in winter.
As far as robustness and natural instincts are concerned, Heck cattle, like the other robust breeds, get along in nature without human intervention, albeit with sometimes high population losses in harder winters. It is often hoped that natural selection can introduce wild Heck cattle (currently in Oostvaardersplassen) to the aurochs in terms of appearance and behavior. In modern Europe with few predators, however, this can hardly be fully achieved and would take an extremely long period of time, and what is more, Heck cattle are nowhere exposed to predatory pressure anywhere.
It should also be noted that the Heck cattle are by no means the only domestic cattle of which wild populations exist. Feral cattle live on the Orkney Islands, in the Camargue, in the Coto de Doñana National Park and on other islands. Wild, dedomesticated cattle breeds include the Chillingham cattle or the shy Betizu and Divjaka cattle . So when it comes to the ability to survive in nature, the Heck cattle is by no means unique, because many cattle breeds are still robust enough to survive in the wild without human intervention.
Occurrence
Today there are probably between 2000 and 3000 animals that are either used in extensive grazing, agricultural use or zoos. For the most part, Heck cattle were presented exclusively in zoos and incorrectly as "aurochs". This misnomer of the cattle breed can still be seen often today. There are smaller herds of Heck cattle in various zoos and outdoor enclosures, for example in the Ice Age game enclosure in Neandertal and in the Hellabrunn zoo in Munich , both of which particularly participated in the spread of the breed after the Second World War , when there were only a few dozen specimens. There are also some herds in some other Central European zoos that keep wild animals as well as farm animals. In addition, the Heck beef is also kept on some farms for meat production.
From the 1980s, Heck cattle began to be used together with other large grazing animals for landscape maintenance, as the important role of herbivores in natural ecosystems was recognized (see megaherbivore hypothesis ) . The NABU in North Rhine-Westphalia runs some grazing projects with Heck cattle in extensive agriculture . Heck cattle are used for grazing and a. the Ems used the outside, together with Konik . The Hutewald project in the Solling-Vogler Nature Park uses Heck cattle together with Exmoor ponies . Grazing by robust cattle such as the Heck cattle, highland cattle or steppe cattle (including in the Neusiedler See National Park ) fulfills both meat marketing and nature conservation goals, as it preserves open areas that are habitat for many small animal species. The city of Neuwied also uses Heck cattle; initially in the Meerheck nature reserve , then also for grazing in a part of the Natura2000 - EG - bird sanctuary Engerser Feld , which was converted from arable and intensive grassland to extensive grassland as a compensatory measure for building areas. Other aurochs-like robust cattle - such as Sayaguesa, Maremmana primitivo , Pajuna , Tudanca and others - are among others. a. Used by the ABU in the Soest district and the Dutch Stichting Taurus . Scottish highland cattle and Galloway cattle are also used in landscape maintenance.
In the Dutch nature development area Oostvaardersplassen in Flevoland near Lelystad there are herds of rear cattle in a number that fluctuates in the three-digit range. They live more or less wild, i. H. there is no additional feeding and the stocks are allowed to multiply in an unregulated manner. Since the Heck cattle, unlike the Koniks and red deer that also live there, often suffer greater stock losses in winter, the herds there are checked daily between February and April in order to kill severely weakened or emaciated cattle and thus prevent avoidable suffering.
Herds from the Netherlands have now also been brought to protected areas in Latvia and settled in the Ķemeri National Park or in the Pape protected area. In Latvia, particularly in harsh winters, mortality is significantly higher than in the Netherlands. Young animals in particular often do not survive the first winter. This is explained by the harsher climate and the existing natural predators such as wolves.
Criticism and impetus for further projects
The approach of the Heck brothers, the result of their attempts and the fact that they presented it as the “new aurochs” was criticized early on. The knowledge available then about the aurochs and about breeding in general was much smaller than it is today. The knowledge of the Hecks about the appearance of the aurochs and original cattle breeds was limited due to the time and methodological deficiencies. Therefore, their concept for the breeding of their cattle was mainly based on the coloring and horns, while the physique of the aurochs (which differs from that of many domestic cattle in some cases drastically) and also the size were grossly neglected. Her picture of the aurochs also contained some misconceptions, the background of which is unclear or for which there is no evidence. The brothers were not similar in some respects, which is why they carried out their breeding experiments separately from each other. Herre (1953) called the Heck cattle a scientifically worthless crossbreeding from domestic breeds, as the end result was very unsatisfactory on closer observation and the choice of the original breeds was not ideal either. Like many other cattle, the Heck cattle fulfills the ecological role of the aurochs as a robust breed, but is not in itself a contribution to the restoration of this wild cattle.
The rear cattle is often described by breeders or animal parks as being very similar to the aurochs. The authenticity of the Heck cattle in relation to the aurochs is doubted in scientific literature or at least found to be inadequate and less than that of some original breeds, such as the Spanish battle cattle . A number of aurochs-like primitive cattle still exist, especially in Iberia . Cis Van Vuure, who tries to evaluate the success of the Heck cattle in his book Retracing the Aurochs - History, Morphology and Ecology of an extinct wild Ox , 2005, states : “In view of the lack of clear similarity in terms of size, color or horns and In other respects, the Heck cattle cannot be regarded as very similar to the aurochs. Rather, it should be seen as a population of cattle in which some auroch traits can be found; a trait it shares with many other cattle populations ” . The color characteristics that the Heck cattle share with the aurochs can also be found in various other breeds, especially from southern Europe. In his analysis from 2005, van Vuure attests that the Heck cattle are less similar to the Ur than the Spanish fighting cattle, which consider them to be the most original cattle breed.
Consequently, the frequent equation of the Heck cattle with the aurochs is a grossly incorrect characterization of this breed of domestic cattle.
Ecoland beef
In the Netherlands, rear cattle and highland cattle are currently being crossed by the organization Ecoplan Natuurontwikkeling. The aim is to obtain cattle with shorter hair and the darker color of the tail cattle and the serenity and robustness of the highland cattle. This emerging breed is called Ecoland cattle or Ecolander and is to be used for publicly accessible grazing projects.
Taurus cattle
The Taurus cattle is the further breeding of the Heck cattle by crossing old and original cattle breeds, mainly from southern Europe. The goal is a much larger, longer-legged cattle with horns curved forward. An increasing number of Heck cattle breeders are showing interest in these crossbred specimens, so that there is a smooth transition between Taurus and Heck cattle.
Other current image breeding projects are the TaurOs Project and the Auerrind Project .
Heck cattle in the Rheingönheim Wildlife Park
Heckkuh in Munster
Heck cattle in the hornbeam hut forest
Heck cattle bull in the grazing project Aurachtal, Upper Franconia
Herd in the nature reserve Kiebitzwiese in Fröndenberg / Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia
Individual evidence
- ^ Marleen Felius: Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia . 2007.
- ↑ a b c d Julia Poettinger: Comparative study on the keeping and behavior of the bison and the Heck cattle . 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e Walter Frisch: The aurochs - The European cattle. 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-026764-2 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Cis van Vuure: Retracing the Aurochs - History, Morphology and Ecology of an extinct wild Ox. 2005, ISBN 954-642-235-5 .
- ↑ Danny Kringiel: Hermann Göring's bizarre breeding experiment - The Nazis' super cow on spiegelonline.de, accessed on September 12, 2018
- ↑ C. Driessen and J. Lorimer: Back-breeding the aurochs: the Heck brothers, National Socialism and imagined geographies for nonhuman Lebensraum. In: P. Giaccaria and C. Minca, Hitler's Geographies. University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2016. researchgate.net: pdf version , in particular pp. 12-14.
- ↑ International stud book for Heck cattle. 1985.
- ^ Association for the promotion of "Auerochsen" eV: "Breeding goals for Heck cattle." Last revision end of 2000. Accessed February 14, 2014.
- ↑ René Kysely: aurochs and potential crossbreeding with domestic cattle in Central Europe in the Eneolithic period. A metric analysis of bones from the archaeological site of Kutná Hora-Denemark (Czech Republic) . 2008.
- ↑ a b c d e Cis van Vuure: History, Morphology and Ecology of the Aurochs (Bos primigenius). 2002.
- ^ Journal of the Cologne Zoo: Hortobagy Nature Conservation Project - Annual Report 2003 . 2004
- ↑ a b c d Bunzel-Drüke, Finck, Kämmer, Luick, Reisinger, Riecken, Riedl, Scharf & Zimball: Wilde Weiden: Practical guidelines for year-round grazing in nature conservation and landscape development
- ^ Frans WM Vera: Large-scale nature development - the Oostvaardersplassen. June 2009 British Wildlife 35 ( PDF; 277 kB ( Memento from May 31, 2017 in the Internet Archive ))
- ↑ Vincent Vigbels: Oostvaardersplassen - New nature below sea level. MMI Staatsbosbeheer Felvoland-Overijssel, Zwolle. ISBN 90-805009-3-3
- ↑ ABU info 06/07: Bunzel-Drüke, Scharf & Vierhaus: Lydia's end - a tragic comedy
- ↑ Heck cattle are an attraction and practice landscape conservation . In: Blick Aktuell - Neuwied KW25, Tuesday June 19, 2007. Online in: silbersee.de . Stefan Scheidweiler.
- ↑ Heck cattle in the Engers field . Published by the city of Neuwied, editor: Erhard Jung, text: Martin Jacobi. In: neuwied.de . Press office of the city of Neuwied (PDF file; 1.27 MiB).
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↑ Heck cattle in the Engers field . Published by the city of Neuwied, editor: Erhard Jung, text: Martin Jacobi. In: neuwied.de . Press office of the city of Neuwied (PDF file; 1.27 MiB).
Heck cattle in Engerser Feld ( memento from February 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). In: Umweltstiftung.rlp.de . Rhineland-Palatinate Nature and Environment Foundation.
Christian Kunst: Cattle will soon graze in the Engerser Feld. Department Committee IIa is in favor of grazing with aurochs - advisory board met . In: Rhein-Zeitung - Neuwied edition of October 12, 2006. Online in: cdu-neuwied.de . CDU city association Neuwied.
Heck cattle are an attraction and practice landscape conservation . In: Blick Aktuell - Neuwied KW25, Tuesday June 19, 2007. Online in: silbersee.de . Stefan Scheidweiler. - ↑ Stichting Taurus, see ( Memento from August 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The influence of large herbivores on the natural landscape of Central Europe at lv-twk.oekosys.tu-berlin.de, accessed on May 23, 2018.
- ↑ Ecoland beef at ecoplan.nl, accessed on May 23, 2018.
- ↑ ABU info 06/07: Bunzel-Drüke, Scharf & Vierhaus: Lydia's end - a tragic comedy
Web links
- Association for the Promotion of Aurochs Breeding (VFA) eV, Braunschweig, founded in 1997
- Margret Bunzel-Drüke, Joachim Drüke, Henning Vierhaus: "The influence of large herbivores on the natural landscape of Central Europe", PDF file 2001.
- Gone is gone. In: The time . April 26, 2010. (on the history of the breeding effort)
- Martin Skerhut: Portrait: Heckrind (blog), June 11, 2019