Breeding Back - Background

Background

It is the target of breeding back to restore the wild traits that may have been preserved in domestic animals within one breeding lineage. Commonly, only the phenotype and ecological capacity are considered in breeding back projects, but a few projects, like the TaurOs Project, also consider the genetic aspect of the animals they are working with. In nature, usually only individuals suited to the natural circumstances can survive and reproduce, while humans select those with additional attractive, docile or productive characteristics. Therefore, selection criteria in nature versus those in domestic conditions are different and domesticated animals often differ significantly in phenotype, behaviour and genetics from their wild forerunners. It is the target of breeding back to re-create the wild traits that may have been preserved in domestic animals within one breeding lineage. Commonly, only the phenotype and ecological capacity are considered in breeding back projects, but single ones, like TaurOs Project also consider the genetic aspect of the animals they are working with.

In many cases, the extinct wild type ancestors of a given species are only known through skeletons and, in some cases, historical descriptions, their phenotype is not directly accessible. Therefore, there is no certainty of success with a breeding back attempt and the results must be reviewed with caution. In order to test genetic closeness, both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA have to be accessible. However, success is possible: humans only selected for superficial characters and as a rule did not change inner mechanisms such as digestion. Further, since many domestic animals show a behaviour that is derived from their wild ancestors (such as the herding instinct of cattle or the social instincts of dogs), and are fit to survive under natural circumstances, as evidenced by the many feral populations of many domestic animals, it can be presumed that back-bred animals will function like their wild ancestors. For example, food choice should be the same in domestic and wild types. Natural selection could serve as additional tool in creating authentic robustness, behaviour and maybe also phenotype. For large herbivores, a sufficient predator population would also be necessary to support such a process, but this largely is not present in current Europe, where many breeding back projects are conducted.

There is a difference between creating a look-alike breed from domestic animals and creating a look-alike via artificial selection of individuals of a different species or subspecies that may resemble the animal that is targeted. For example, the Quagga was an independent species of the plains zebra, and has no descendants which preserved its features. Thus, the Quagga Project tries to breed a look-alike out of living plains zebras which have fewer stripes than average, selecting for reduced striping. The resulting animal will bear only a superficial resemblance to the extinct Quagga.