The sound of MOOSIC! A clever herd of cows have been recruited to protect an ancient hill fort in Herefordshire from invaders, associating the music with a virtual fence.
- Little Doward Hill Fort was built in the 5th century and is located in the Wye Valley.
- The Woodland Trust called on a herd of six Dexter cows to protect the fort.
- Cows associate music, played through a solar collar, with a virtual fence
It’s a scheme that takes the ‘moosic’ sound to a new level.
A clever herd of cows has been recruited to protect an old hill fort from invaders, associating the sound of music with a virtual fence.
Little Doward Hill Fort was built in the 5th century BC. C. and is located in the Wye Valley, near Whitchurch.
Hundreds of years ago, it provided protection for a prominent Iron Age warlord from oncoming Anglo-Saxon warriors.
Now, the biggest battle facing the site is against the vegetation and invasive species that invade it.
A clever herd of cows has been recruited to protect an old hill fort from invaders, associating the sound of music with a virtual fence.
The Woodland Trust, which owns the site, called on a herd of six Dexter cows to help protect and restore the fort, as well as the 82 hectares of forest that surround it.
And the Woodland Trust, which owns the site, called on a herd of six Dexter cows to help protect and restore the fort, as well as the 82 hectares of forest that surround it.
The cows, which feast on many different varieties of plants and berries, have learned to associate musical rhythms, played through a solar-powered collar, with a virtual fence.
They have been trained to respond to audio zone, which means they back up when they hear a sound, allowing them to maintain a perimeter without the need for traditional wooden posts and rails.
Richard Brown, Woodland Trust site manager, said: “Little Doward is a truly ancient and special site, not only with the fort overlooking the beautiful Wye Valley, but also with ancient woodland.”
“It’s a bit of a battle to preserve the greenery fort and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to herd a small herd of fluffy and friendly Dexter cows that have been trained to associate musical beats with a virtual fence, so now there’s no need for the sore eyes and expense of building a fence.
‘This is a victory for the site. For nature and restoration, cows are ideal pastures on a wide range of species. They help spread seeds through your manure and gently move the soil without destroying it.
“For the fort itself, they can prevent vegetation from engulfing it and the virtual fencing technology, through an app, helps us move the herd, actually moving the fence.”
Little Doward Woods is part of the Wye Valley Special Area of Conservation and the Upper Wye Gorge Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The cows, which feast on many different varieties of plants and berries, have learned to associate musical rhythms, played through a solar-powered collar, with a virtual fence.
Although only a small part of the Little Doward Woods is ancient, it is an incredibly important habitat, providing shelter for many plants and animals, some of which are only found in isolated locations throughout the UK.
Little Doward Woods is part of the Wye Valley Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Upper Wye Gorge Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
There are numerous veteran oak and beech trees here, as well as some rare and interesting fauna.
It is of national importance for its saproxylic beetles, species that require dead or decaying wood to complete their life cycle, including the incredibly rare Cosnard’s web-winged beetle.
The large number of old and veteran trees in the forest provide the dead wood and associated fungi on which these species depend.
The fort itself was the hilltop stronghold of Iron Age chieftains and has been linked to the 5th-century warlord Vortigern, who is said to have fled here from invading Saxons.
