FREE PICTURES OF HORSES AVAILABLE
Visitors to Clocaenog Forest in North Wales are being transported back thousands of years in time as Forestry Commission Wales takes an imaginative approach to looking after a site of historical importance.
The Commission has brought in three endangered Przewalski's horses to graze an area in the forest called the Enclosures - recreating a scene from the Neolithic and Iron Age when these wild horses first roamed free in the woods.
The horses, which are classified as extinct in the wild, were introduced from the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay and are surplus mares from the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme which the zoo is involved in.
The horses roam around a 12-acre "paddock" in the woods which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by the conservation body Cadw, and they now play a valuable role in managing this important site.
FC Wales Conservation Manager Iolo Lloyd said, "Although they are known as the Mongolian wild horse, the Przewalski's horse roamed Britain three to 4,000 years ago, so this truly is a scene from the past. Przewalski's horses appear on cave paintings, and now we've brought them back to the forest after all this time as part of a modern approach to the challenge of managing this significant site."
The site was designated by Cadw because it was once a Neolithic/Iron Age settlement with livestock enclosures where animals were held overnight or during the seasonal movement of grazing regimes.
Interestingly, the site was not fortified - a key feature of the heritage designation as it suggests the site was in use during a calm period of what was, historically, a volatile time of conflicts between tribes.
As well as helping the international conservation project, the re-introduction of the Przewalski's horses is the ideal solution to the problem of managing such a sensitive site.
"There are many benefits from grazing," said Iolo. "Because it's a scheduled ancient monument, we're not allowed to take vehicles on the site. We also have problems of scrub control but because these horses are extremely hardy they will eat a lot of the scrub, thereby helping vegetation structure and biodiversity.
"It's more environmentally friendly than throwing chemicals all over the place. And, of course, the horses are managing the site without us having to pay someone to come in and do it."
The horses were introduced to Clocaenog exactly a year ago, and visitors can now get a better view of the rare animals from a viewing platform which has been erected in the woods, along with an interpretation panel giving an insight to their fascinating history.
It's an ingenious solution which preserves the ancient monument, helps the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme - and gives the horses the sort of freedom which they last enjoyed thousands of years ago.
"People can now see the horses in a forest environment, instead of the more usual zoo enclosures. It also helps us to understand how the Przewalski's horses adapt to a natural environment," said Iolo.
Nick Jackson, Zoological Director of the Welsh Mountain Zoo, said, "We are really pleased to be participating in this partnership project with FC Wales. This is an example of how the modern zoo can work with other agencies to the benefit of habitat management, species conservation and animal wlefare."
For more information on the Przewalski's horses in Clocaenog Forest, contact Iolo Lloyd on 01938 557400, mobile 07971 867329.
For more information on the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, contact Nick Jackson on 01492 532938, mobile 07966 265182.
Media enquiries to Clive Davies on 01970 625866, mobile 07788 190922.