Wildlife charity introduces herd of Water Buffalo to improve rare wetland habitat in Hertfordshire.
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have introduced a herd of Water Buffalo to graze their Thorley Wash Nature Reserve, which lies to the south of Bishop’s Stortford and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The animals are considered to be the best livestock option to graze the 13-hectare wetland nature reserve, which is nestled between the River Stort navigation and the Stort backwater, near to the village of Spellbrook. The site, which was formerly known as Thorley Flood Pound, is a great example of a fen habitat and with 99% of fen habitat having been lost in the UK, it is a real rarity in Hertfordshire.
Traffic stopped and heads turned as the Water Buffalo arrived at their new home for the summer, having travelled from Sunnymead Farm in Essex. This species originate from Asia, where they are found in wet habitats such as riverbanks and marshlands, and often used domestically on rice paddies. This means as a species they are hardier and more tolerant of water-logged conditions than domestic cattle and better suited to the conditions at Thorley Wash, which include ditches, waterlogged marshy areas and wet grassland. Their suitability means they should spend more time grazing in the wetter areas on site which the previously used cattle found less favourable. Whilst grazing in the ditches, they will clear the dense and scrubbier vegetation to improve that habitat, which will help species such as endangered Water Voles, which were successfully reintroduced to Thorley Wash in 2015. In addition, Water Buffalo are less selective in their diet so they should graze more of the coarser vegetation which will enable finer wildflowers and grasses to flourish. If the Water Buffalo were not employed then it would require some heavy machinery such as diggers to keep the ditches clear.