Joanna Lawrence writes:
Our cows have once again returned to Wood Lane Heath for the summer. The three Irish Moiled boys are called Mirror, Milo and Maltloaf and are from Millers Ark Farm.
The purpose of grazing the heath is to keep the Purple Moor grass and scrub under control. The cows will eat the juicy grass and the fresh green leaves of the young birch saplings which will keep the vegetation sward open and low. This then allows heather and other heathland plant species, some of which are very rare in Britain, space to grow and flourish.
Members of the public are still allowed through the heath while the cows are here, although dogs should be kept under close control or on a lead. The cows are very used to people nearby but don’t like to be stroked or patted! They also have plenty of food to eat so we ask the public not to feed them anything as it could upset their digestive systems. If the cattle are on the path and you want to pass them, just make them aware of your presence so as not to startle them and they will usually move out of the way or just stare at you in a curious manner!
The cattle are monitored closely by the Rangers and by our volunteer “lookers” who regularly check the general heath of the cows and make sure that they have enough water to drink. We are very grateful to all our volunteers who keep an eye on the cows.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer looker, please contact our lookers’ co-ordinator:
Vicki Jull via countryside@hart.go.uk
In the next couple of weeks we expect some more cows to arrive. These will be grazing the Marsh for the summer and we will post an update on this soon!
By the way, the names and tag numbers are: Mirror (tag number 191), Milo (196) and Meatloaf (197).