First foal of the season born at nature reserve

Koniks and Highland cattle were first introduced to Wicken Fen in the early 2000s

David Webster/BBC A foal lay in a field with other horses behind it — Koniks and Highland cattle were first introduced to Wicken Fen in the early 2000s

The first pony of the season has been born at a nature reserve.

The Konik filly - female foal - arrived 10 days ago at the National Trust's Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire.

Koniks, which originate from Poland, and Highland cattle were first introduced there in the early 2000s from the Isle of Mull.

They roam the reserve and help improve the landscape as their grazing helps to attract new species of flora and fauna.

The newborn's mother Meg, a 15-year-old Konik, has had a foal every year since 2011.

The trust's ranger said the foal was born about 10 days ago

David Webster/BBC A foal standing in a field with other horse — The trust's ranger said the foal was born about 10 days ago

The trust's ranger, Ajay Tegala, said: "They [the Koniks] are born in the wild and will spend their whole lives out here grazing, living out on the fen, and doing a great job for us.

"They cut the grass in a natural way, roam around the landscape and graze where they want and when they want which creates a mosaic of natural habitat."

Breeding season for the Koniks runs roughly from late March to October.

The first Konik foal, Harry, was born on the reserve in 2005 and the first Highland calf, Meadow Rue, arrived a year later.

The ponies snip off plants with their incisors, creating a mosaic of cropped lawns, while cattle pull or tear at vegetation, leaving tussocks

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