Kouprey || What Happened To The Mysterious Forest Ox Of Cambodia ???

Kouprey or "forest ox"; also known as kouproh, "grey ox"), is a little-known, forest-dwelling, wild bovine species from Southeast Asia.
It is believed to be extinct now. The last confirmed sighting was in 1988.
The kouprey has been known to Western science only since 1937, although 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.
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.
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. They are affected by degradation of their habitat and are hunted for their meat, horns and skull.
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.
There are thought to be few, if any, kouprey left in existence. The last confirmed sighting was in 1988.
Since then, 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.
The kouprey is believed to be a close relative of the aurochs, gaur, and banteng. A very 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 680 to 910 kg (1,500 to 2,010).
There is some speculation on whether or not they are already extinct. If still extant, their numbers must not be more than a couple of hundreds.
Kouprey are legally protected in all range states and may be present in some protected areas. Prince Sihanouk designated it as the national animal of Cambodia in the 1960s, partly due to its mystique.
There is no captive population. The only individual in a western zoo was sent to the Vincennes Zoo at Paris in 1937; that was the individual designated as the holotype by Urbain. It died early in World War II.

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