Cows arrive as new Wandlebury Country Park lawnmowers

A country park has taken delivery of new "lawnmowers" in the form of eight Belted Galloway cows.

They have travelled from Scotland to maintain the wild flower meadows at Wandlebury Country Park near Cambridge.

Ed Wombwell, estate manager for Cambridge Past Present and Future, which runs the park, said the cows' small size made them perfect for roaming the park's meadows.

He also stressed they were "not picky" about what they ate.

"They're small cows so they're perfect for our conservation," Mr Wombwell said.

"Here on the meadow we've got chalk grassland which is a fantastic biodiversity-rich habitat - both nationally and internationally important - and the best way of managing that is by the use of grazing animals.

"The small size means they can get around easily and they're not picky, so they can eat all the rough stuff that other cows won't eat."

He said the way the cattle eat, grabbing grass with their tongues and selecting dominant species, helped "create the perfect habitat for hundreds of different wildflowers".

The park also uses Highland cattle to manage its land, but there are now only three at the park.

"Unfortunately they weren't able to keep up - as they get older they get more efficient - they know what they want and they don't want to be moved around too much, so we called in reinforcements and got their country cousins in," said Mr Wombwell.

He added the new arrivals were "doing a fantastic job, coming in and hoovering up this lovely grassland".

After about two weeks in their new home he said the cattle were settling in well.

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