Rangers from Kent Wildlife Trust have released worrying images of their conservation cattle grazing in areas strewn with litter and say that the amount of rubbish being dumped at Kent beauty spots appears to be a growing trend. They are now calling on volunteers to help clean up the site and have arranged a day of action at the site on Friday, 23rd February. 

In the past, there have been cases of animals being injured by rubbish, in one incident a Highland cow was left severely lame after a broken beer bottle was found wedged in its hoof whilst, in another, a discarded roller skate wheel became lodged in the horns of a cow who needed sedation to remove it. Rangers often fill rubbish sacks filled with bottles, cans and balloons and there have even been incidents of beer cans being wrestled from the mouths of Konik ponies!  

The trust has over 800 cattle, sheep, ponies, pigs, and a herd of bison roaming across many of the 90 nature reserves under their management as part of their “Wilder Grazing Strategy.” The animals manage the landscape naturally, encouraging wildlife recovery and adaptation to the changing climate. Staff at Kent Wildlife Trust utilise mixes of old breeds of grazing, browsing and rootling animals across all habitats to mimic natural processes. The grazing species on the reserves act in similar ways to the large grazers that used to live wild in Kent but are now extinct, such as aurochs, elks, and the Steppe bison. 

The animals in the care of the trust are checked daily by a group of volunteers, wardens, and Conservation Grazing Rangers. They look out for any welfare issues, reporting back lameness, illness, broken fences, and site safety issues. They also spend an increasing amount of their time collecting litter, so it is not eaten by grazing animals or any other wildlife. 

Conservation Grazing Ranger, Jess Allam, who captured the recent images of the grazing cattle alongside litter at Heather Corrie Vale in the Dareth Valley, said: “I have taken to carrying litter bags with me because we are being faced with increased rubbish daily. It poses a real risk to our grazing animals; they have healthy appetites and will have a chomp at most things as they cannot decipher rubbish from food. If they consume litter, they can get incredibly sick, the ponies could suffer a colic attack which could kill them, or they could require expensive veterinary care. 

“There is the additional risk of injury from glass bottles and cans that are left behind for us to collect. These are big sites and though we check them every day, it is easy to miss them if you are not in the right spot – it not only poses a danger to our grazing animals but other wildlife in the area. 

“We are having to invest more and more time and money into clean-up operations, and we would prefer to put our efforts into helping wildlife and improving the visitor experience on our sites so everyone can get the opportunity to connect with nature.” 

Get involved 

The little pick and other volunteering activities will begin at 9.30am at Heather Corrie Vale Nature Reserve on Friday, 23rd February. To take part email max.goodwin@kentwildlife.org.uk  

The day follows a successful volunteering event at Coombe Down in Dover earlier this week where volunteers cleared sacks of rubbish as part of ongoing work to restore the precious chalk grass habitat. 

Last year, Kent Wildlife Trust launched its “Nature Nightmares Appeal” where the people of Kent kindly donated money towards clean-up costs from fly-tipping, arson, and anti-social behaviour on their reserves. Those wishing to support the appeal can do so by clicking here.