Aurochs and Al Hamra Tower

Aurochs  : Extinct in 1627  

Al Hamra Tower  : 412.6m, Kuwait City, Kuwait   

 

 

 

Aurochs and Al Hamra Tower_76x57cm_watercolor on paper_2015

 

 

The aurochs, or black bull, depicted in Lascaux Caves, is a species of large wild cattle. It is the ancestor of domestic cattle. There are three recognized subspecies of Aurochs: Eurasian, Indian, and the North African. Unrestricted hunting pushed them to the edge of extinction. By the 13th century, only a few individuals remained in Poland, Lithuania, Moldavia, Transylvania, and East Prussia. Thanks to efforts by the Polish royal family to protect the species, the last population of Aurochs was able survive in Jaktorów Forest for centuries. Sadly, the species largely lost its protection in the late 1500s when Poland became politically unstable. The population declined rapidly from 38 individuals in 1564 to 24 in 1566 and to only four in 1602. The last live male Aurochs died in 1620, and the last female aurochs died a natural death in Jaktorów Forest in 1627.