Aurochs Extinct
circa 1627 CE • Europe
"For the protection of the aurochs, that at the end of the 13th century had become so rare they were found in only a few forests of Eastern Europe, Prince Boleslaus of Masovia forbade the hunting of them on his lands, and King Jagellon took even more severe measures a century later. In the 16th century, in an attempt to preserve the very few survivors, King Sigismund III of Poland set aside all the land the aurochs inhabited in the Jaktorov Forest as a reserve. Yet the species was to become extinct in 1627."
Source: Jean Christophe Balouet, Eric Alibert, and Joan Robb, Extinct Species of the World. (New York, NY: Barron's, 1990), 35.
Image: Sümnick, Marcus. Auerochs in Copenhagen. Digital image. 26 Feb. 2011.
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