Cows to move to park to aid biodiversity
GettyCows are set to move into a park to help increase the biodiversity of some of its grasslands.
Three Hereford cows will be placed in a fenced off area at Elemore Country Park in Hetton-le-Hole, south of Sunderland, next month.
The animals, which will be brought in from a farm, will live in the park for six months, Durham Wildlife Trust official Anne Gladwin said.
"Over the last year we've been putting in fencing, putting in troughs for grazing… and so this is the next step," she explained.
She said the trust, along with Sunderland City Council, had been trying to figure out the best way to manage the habitat of the park which was converted from a former golf course at an old colliery in 2022.
Cows are adept at grazing tough, faster growing vegetation, said Ms Gladwin.
"You want to graze down the standing vegetation to allow the slower growing, more sensitive plants to grow," she said.
"Also, with their hooves and the way they kind of tear up the grass, they actually create bare patches in the soil... so that seeds in the soil can germinate."
This leads to a mix in the vegetation which would otherwise not occur as grasslands can easily become dominated by one particular species, she said.
Such variety can support a wider range of wildlife.
The public will still be able to walk through the part of the park where the cows live, but Ms Gladwin advised people to keep their dogs on leads.
Depending on the outcome of the trial, more cows could be introduced to the park in future.