Oh deer! Richmond Park brings in longhorn cattle

8:24am Wednesday 11th July 2007

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Long-horned cattle weighing over half a ton each will soon be roaming freely in Richmond Park.

As part of a conservation scheme, two English longhorns will be brought to the park this winter to test how well they adapt to the new surroundings.

If successful, park staff hope to introduce more cattle to the park in the future, with a long-term aim of having a herd roaming freely to graze.

Grazing cattle were once a common sight in the park but were removed in the 1950s. Since then, the quality of the acid grassland has decreased with the deer wreaking havoc with the wild-flowers.

Adam Curtis, assistant manager of Richmond Park, said: "The deer selectively eat the wild flowers and the grass by snipping at it. The grassland has now been judged to be lacking in wild flowers and the answer to this conservation conundrum is grass-munching cows.

"By preference cows graze grassy tussocks and pull at their dinner, creating a bare patch and an opportunity for a variety of species to move in."

English longhorns, which are now used almost solely for beef, are gentle animals, although they have been known to become aggressive when breeding. In order to prevent possible injuries to the public, no bulls will be introduced to the park.

The cows will be brought to Richmond from a conservation grazing project in Epping Forest, where they were introduced in 2003 to keep down the scrub.

Initially, the two animals will be kept in a four acre enclosure surrounded by an electric fence to allow them to settle in and get used to attention from the public and from curious deer.

Mr Curtis said: "The Royal Parks is keen to gauge the ecological changes as well as the public's reaction."

Michael Davies, 79, has been breeding longhorns for years, and believes it is an ideal breed for free-range grazing. He said: "There are 50 of them in Epping Forest which is all public access, and the reason we use this particular breed is because they are so docile. There is no danger to the public at all."

They love these cows up north

A young man wearing only a pair of black briefs was spotted having sex with an English longhorn at a specialist breeder's farm in Skipwith, North Yorkshire, at 4.30am on Friday.

The youth was interrupted by a shocked passer-by who called the police, but by the time officers arrived at the scene, the cow's attacker had escaped.

"English longhorns are lovely animals - but not that lovely," farmer Richard Parish told the Sun newspaper. "My mates are having a right laugh and milking it for all it is worth. The cows don't seem to be spending so much time outside and are happier inside the barn at night."

Police patrols around the village at night have increased in the hope of catching the perpetrator.