Elliott Fairs, from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, checks on the Highland cattle which have been introduced to Bartley Heath

TAKE a walk on the wild side - that's the message from a wildlife trust team to people in the Hook and Odiham area.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust introduced a pair of Highland cattle to Bartley Heath common land at the end of January in a bid to improve the area's habitat - and now it is giving locals the chance to take a closer look at the new arrivals.

The trust is set to hold a free springtime wildlife walk for people to see the cows, and three New Forest ponies also on the site.

Elliott Fairs, reserves officer at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "Bartley Heath is special for wildlife because it's nice and open and gets a lot of sun.

"What the animals do is to stop trees from growing. They keep the area in check by eating saplings and tree shoots, which makes it a nice area for reptiles such as grass snakes and common lizards. In addition, the dung is brilliant for wildlife such as insects and fungi."

The trust introduced the cattle, bred by Ted Champion, after a team of volunteers helped to mend fencing around Bartley Heath.

It has also applied to Hart District Council to erect 3,583 metres of fencing around neighbouring Hook Common for a similar project.

Mr Fairs said: "As soon as we put the cattle on Bartley Heath, we had people ringing up in favour of them. You cannot please everyone, but people have said they make the land look more natural."

The walk will take place on April 26, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. For more details, visit www.hwt.org.uk

11:54am Monday 24th March 2008

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