Kouprey (Bos sauveli)
The kouprey (Bos sauveli), also known as the forest ox and grey ox, is a species of forest-dwelling wild bovine native to Southeast Asia.
Historical distribution of this species included Cambodia, southern Laos, southeast Thailand, and western Vietnam.
They are thought to be extinct in all areas outside of Cambodia. The last confirmed sighting of a wild individual was in 1969.
Prince Sihanouk designated it as the national animal of Cambodia in the 1960s, partly due to its mystique.
The kouprey has been known to Western science only since 1937.
However it is believed it had been discovered previously, when in 1929 an American man and his son shot and killed an unidentified ungulate to use as tiger bait whilst big game hunting.
A young male was sent to the Vincennes Zoo in 1937 where it was described by the French zoologist Achille Urbain and was declared the holotype.
The kouprey has a tall, narrow body, long legs, a humped back and long horns. Both sexes have white stockings, with a dark strip down the front of each foreleg.
The kouprey is believed to be a close relative of the aurochs, gaur, and banteng.
A large ungulate, the kouprey can approach similar sizes to the wild Asian water buffalo and stand 1.7–1.9 m (5.6–6.2 ft) high at the shoulder. Their weight is reportedly from 700 to 900 kg (1,500 to 2,000 lb).
Bull kouprey develop large dewlaps as they age, with those of mature individuals reaching lengths of 16 inches (40 cm) long. In some cases, the dewlap is so pronounced that it drags along the ground.
Both males and females have horns. Size and shape of horns can be used to identify gender.
Female kouprey has lyra-shaped horns (like antelope). Males have wider and longer horns that are arched upwards and forward.
Bulls have been observed to plough up soil with their horns, especially around mineral licks and waterholes, which leads to the tips fraying.
The kouprey is thought to have never been numerous, likely never exceeding 2,000 individuals during the 20th century.
In 1989, the total kouprey population in Cambodia was estimated at less than 200 individuals.
If still extant, it likely exists in Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary, Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri Protected Forest, and/or Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area.
Kouprey form small herds led by a female, and graze on grasses, feeding in the forest during the day and in the open at night.
Kouprey behavior is described as similar to that of the banteng, with the two species often being found grazing alongside each other, though not intermixing.
They are affected by degradation of their habitat and are hunted for their meat, horns and skull.
There is some speculation on whether or not they are already extinct. If still extant, their numbers must not be more than 50 individuals.
Surveys have been done to try to locate the species but all have failed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the species as "critically endangered", but it may already be extinct.
Kouprey are legally protected in all range states and may be present in some protected areas.
There is no captive population. The only individual (holotype) in a western zoo was sent to the Vincennes Zoo at Paris in 1937 where it died in1940.
Allegedly another calf was kept in a captive setting by Norodom Sihanouk during the 1950s, though details surrounding this individual are limited.
Several statues depicting and dedicated to the kouprey have been established across Cambodia, including in the country's capital city, Phnom Penh.
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