Centuries after the massive ancestor of modern-day cattle went extinct, a new breed is being released in Denmark to rewild the terrain.

Aurochs, or Bos primigenius, were a species of massive cow that lived hundreds of thousands of years before habitat loss and hunting led to their extinction in 1627.

They originally lived in Europe, Asia and North Africa, but only their much smaller domestic descendants live there today.

Hoping to bring back a version of these formidable creatures, the Hempel Foundation worked to breed an animal similar to the aurochs using their DNA still found in living bovines, according to an Aug. 20 post from Rewilding Europe.

Thirty tauros will be released in the Saksfjed Vildmark, or wilderness, of Lolland, an island in southeastern Denmark, the Hempel Foundatio

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