Meet the Wilder Blean conservation grazers

Longhorn Cattle graze on the woody twigs of trees and scrub. This opens up the canopy, spilling light onto the forest floor and benefitting an array of species.

The four longhorn cows now living at West Blean are separate from the bison, with the run of the rest of the site. The longhorn bull is very impressive in size and docile in nature.

Exmoor ponies target soft, herby vegetation, creating space for different species to grow through in grassy and scrubby areas.

6 male Exmoor ponies now live on site. In nature, small, all-male herds of ponies are common and small mixed herds are unusual. Our all-male herd mimics this natural structure.

Iron-Age Pigs rootle around in the soil with their snouts, looking for roots and bulbs. This soil disturbance causes even long-dormant seeds to grow.

Four hairy, gingery, female pigs have also joined the group. We opted for all female pigs because, in nature, male pigs have very large ranges and the team agreed that our site is not large enough to keep them happy. Pigs also breed very quickly so keeping numbers constant to start with is sensible whilst we study the initial impacts on the woodland.