Help our Longhorn Calves this Winter
Next year these cute calves will be out on a nature reserve, doing an incredible job grazing our fields, helping other wildlife to thrive.
First of all though, we have to guide them through the winter. Your help can keep them safe and warm in the harsh winter months. We need to ensure that they get all the nutrients they need to grow up healthy and strong so they have the best chance of living a long and happy life.
Please click through to the page below to help keep these little guys the warmth and care they deserve.
Why do we need your support?
To do this, of course there are costs. We have to pay a grazier to look after them, as well as everything that is needed to care for them. If you can help them out this Christmas, then next year they could be out on a reserve near you
Why is conservation grazing important?
Modern cows are designed to thrive on fertilised grass and don’t like to eat the plants, bushes and types of grass found on ‘old habitats’ – the places where wild nature survives and can flourish if the right conservation management is applied. Many of the fragments of old grassland, heath, marsh, fen and woodland that survive have been neglected for decades. They have not been grazed, which is key to making room for diverse and rare plants, and their quality and ‘specialness’ have declined, or disappeared.
This is where old breeds of grazing animal, such as Longhorn cattle have become essential to nature conservation. They are perfectly adapted to not just survive on things other than grass, but to actually thrive on it! They are tough and hardy. Kent Wildlife Trust uses its cattle herds to graze a variety of conservation sites, including those near Dover, Sevenoaks and Medway where they are on the front line, carrying out crucial chalk grassland restoration.
We will post regular updates on our social media channels; find us @kentwildlife