The kouprey (Bos sauveli), also known as the forest ox and grey ox, is a possibly extinct species of forest-dwelling wild bovine native to Southeast Asia. It was first scientifically described in 1937.

The name kouprey is derived from the Khmer language and means "forest ox". The kouprey was defined as the national mammal of Cambodia in 2005.

The kouprey is listed as Critically Endangered and possibly extinct on the IUCN Red List.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The kouprey was described by Achille Urbain in 1937 based on an adult individual that was caught in northern Cambodia and was kept at the Paris Zoological Park. However, the authors of the study rescinded their conclusion. In 2021, it was established that the kouprey represents a distinct species unrelated to zebu, forming a polytomy with the banteng and gaur due to incomplete lineage sorting, suggesting extensive hybridisation between their ancestors and resulting in the mitochondrial DNA of kouprey being nested within a group including a mixture of both banteng and gaur.

Relationships of members of the genus Bos based on nuclear genomes after Sinding, et al. 2021. It is long from nose to rear, tall at the shoulders and weighs . The pelage of cows and bulls diverges as they mature; cows turn a mouse to brownish grey, while bulls become progressively darker, until individuals of 12 years or older are entirely dark brown. Both sexes have white stockings, with a dark strip down the front of each foreleg.

Bull kouprey develop large dewlaps as they age, with those of mature individuals reaching lengths of 16 inches (40 cm). In some cases, the dewlap is so pronounced that it drags along the ground. Archaeological evidence shows that it also occurred in northern Yunnan, China.

The primary habitat of the kouprey is described as a mix of open grassland and dense open canopy forests featuring grassy glades, waterholes and salt licks. have also played a role in the species' decline through the destruction of habitat, poaching, and significantly disrupting conservation efforts and further study of the animal in the wild. with a 2020 report by the World Wildlife Fund estimating that over 12.2 million snares were present within protected areas in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Conservation

thumb|left|A statue of two kouprey bulls, located in [[Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia.]]

Conservation efforts for the kouprey began in 1960 when Norodom Sihanouk, then head of state of Cambodia, gave the species protected status and created three natural reserves for it. These protected areas continued to be maintained by Norodom Sihanouk's successor, Lon Nol, but became neglected during the time of Khmer Rouge rule under Pol Pot. During this period, the majority of the country's Forestry Bureau staff were killed, and all documents relating to the reserves were destroyed. It arrived at the zoo in April 1937 and was housed alongside a juvenile gaur and a juvenile water buffalo. It died sometime during World War II. Another calf was kept in a captive setting by Norodom Sihanouk during the 1950s, though details surrounding this individual are limited. and carvings in the temples of Angkor Wat have been found to resemble the animal as well.

References

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  • Hassanin, A. & Ropiquet, A. (2004). "Molecular phylogeny of the tribe Bovini (Bovidae, Bovinae) and the taxonomic status of the kouprey, Bos sauveli Urbain 1937". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33 (3): 896–907.
  • Hendrix, S. (1995). "Quest for the Kouprey". International Wildlife Magazine. 25 (5): 20–23.
  • Hendrix, Steve (19 December 1999). "The ultimate nowhere: Trekking through the Cambodian outback in search of the Kouprey". Chicago Tribune.
  • "Last Kouprey: Final Project to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund for Grant Number GA 10/0.8". Global Wildlife Conservation. Austin, Texas, 25 April 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  • Animal info page on kouprey
  • CSEW factsheet on kouprey
  • Copy of New York Times item about possible hybrid origin.