Horses Healing Marshlands
In an intriguing ecological exercise that could revitalise the entire countryside around the cathedral city of Canterbury in the U.K., “naturalistic grazing” has fast become the new environmental buzzword.
It seems that a herd of wild horses once linked to sinister Nazi experiments, have found a new place in history for themselves, by helping to bring wildlife back to the once desolate marshlands, as they literally ‘munch the marshes back to life.’
The Koniks were brought to Britain in a project run by the Canterbury City Council and the Wildwood Trust, whose nearby animal discovery park attracts 100,000 visitors a year.
Amazing all those involved in what appeared at first to be a ‘hair-brained scheme,’ the project is proving a huge success, as the Konik’s harmonise with the land itself, revitalising the entire park.
The project has been so successful that even at its earliest stage, Egrets have begun nesting back on the site.
Nazi Connections?
A European Tarpan : Now Extinct
Tarpans roamed all over Britain until hunted to extinction in Neolithic times. They survived in central Europe until pure breeds finally disappeared at the turn of the 20th century.
Polish scientists, noticing that Tarpan-coloured foals were being born to local mares, successfully bred back horses with similar characteristics and called them Koniks (which is Polish for pony).
The story of the Tarpan, which featured heavily in the folklore of Teutonic crusader knights in the 13th and 14th centuries, does have a dark side, because following the Nazi invasion of Poland in WWII, whole herds were stolen and transported back to Germany where geneticists sought to recreate the pure Aryan wild horse.
It seems that when the Russians invaded Germany in the final days of the war, the horses were eaten by the starving people of Munich and Berlin.
After the war, protected herds repopulated Poland's national parks. Then, with the fall of the Iron Curtain, conservationists transported the horses back to parks across Europe.
Nazi History by P. Majendie
I'll have to make sure my daughter sees this... she'll love it, and the pictures are fantastic!
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
So true.
I am excited about this news : adjacent to a recent worldwide project proposal I have just discovered. The proposal suggests that governments are thinking of offering tax credits to ordinary folk who will "house" endangered species on their properties .. early stages, but it's the right thought forward.
*glee*
Awesome!
Lilla ...
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
Just a quick comment to let you know how very khush I am to see you.
I will be back to read this post... promise ...unfortunately the Rugby is on...and even though my wild horses are not playing...it's still Rugby...
Hope you are well pyaari...
Dusk
The Tack Room
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
It is nice to see you too.
Look forward to your return and I hope the game is worthwhile.
Sorry to hear that your wild horses are to loose their prize stallion.
You will need satelite now to track him, mai wee?
Lilla ...
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Yes indeed!
Always good for the soul...I'd like to see Brumbies all over our own native bushland here in Australia, and camels and every other furry creature... I hate concrete.
Lilla ...
Fun Facts
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
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Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
It is fascinating, isn't it? There are so many more amazing things going on around the place, especially as environmental awareness begins to grow ... I hope to feature them all...
Thanks for your comment,
...Nice to 'see' you again...
Lilla ...
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Very exciting news about the horses though... I wish they would realise that animals were here first and therefore would be the natural restorers for our environment... if only we would take more leaves out of their books!
ash
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
...a lovely part of the world indeed ... and lovlier now too, for your next visit?
Indeed you speak the truth Ash, it seems that 'they' are finally waking up... good news for 'us'...
gotta dash ... life, with crocked finger beckons ...again...*lol*
Lilla ...
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I hope all is better soon Lilla.... many hugs
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Life is fine, I wonder why you would make this comment?
Is it my English again?
I meant Crooked finger I think... not Crocked... I don't even know what a 'crocked finger' is... hang on I'll look it up...
***
Yep, Crooked finger, not Crocked... *oh cracking myself up* "what a crock" as you must know, is an Australian saying and I guess my Freudian Fingertips never quite got around it fast enough ...*chuckle*
Thanks for the well wishes though...
Lilla ...
Celebrity Obsession
I love this story. Sometimes it's not high-tech solutions we need....but rather to look at the natural environment around us.
Lovely!
Kylie
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
I'm glad you appreciated the story...
Yes indeed, and I can see more and more evidence of this type of 'idea' coming to the forefront as a means to help cure some of the ills that afflict the planet and our impact upon it.
I hope to bring a lot more of these simple solution stories to envirowarrior over the coming months...
..thanks for the great comment!
Lilla ...
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
good it`s all good... everything here is good isn`t it?
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
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Today's World
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Penny Smart
A lovely solution, so natural.
Theresa
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Can I come too?
Good luck with your mission...*chuckle* I'm working on the Mono-stery, again myself!
Lilla ...
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
A lovely comment, thanks.
Lilla ...
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
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help us!
please!
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
...not sure where to take that comment? *lol*
I guess we do?
Nice to see you again,
Lilla ...
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
What a heartwarming post. I love that a "hair brained" environmental experiment worked.
It reminds me of the plight of the Wright brothers
If we look at the details of the history of the Wrights, we find that their discovery was ALMOST suppressed. Numerous other inventors were
building devices, but they were based on some faulty wing research and none of them worked well. At the same time, mainstream science was sneering at all these obviously ignorant flying machine inventors. Claims of success were met with accusations of hoax and refusal to inspect evidence. The Wrights spent more than a year testing their device in an
open field near highways and rail lines, yet the local papers published nothing, refused to send reporters to check the story, and treated the many questioning letters from the public as a nusiance. The Scientific
American and NY Herald rejected the Wrights' claims as hoaxes, saying that, if their claims were real, it would already be in all the papers(!) Scientists turned away, referring to Newcomb's science paper which proved that flight was impossible using known power supplies.
Hopefully we have learned something and those of us who are environmentally aware can keep an "open mind" regarding this research.
Mis
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
that is an interesting response and I find myself thrown into thought, in response...
Although I am a seasoned flyer myself, having circumnavigated the globe a couple of times with my trusty backpack, I have to say that I wish the wright brothers never bothered.
Planes cause so much pollution and spiritually ... well I dunno... so many aspects to consider and so many possibilities here of abuses and further pollution... I have to stay half way on this one, for a little while, as something that ultimately bettered mankind ... in the long run.
Like Nuclear technology, I too hope that it becomes a force of good one day too ... perhaps delsalinating fresh water for drinking? Sounds better than bombs and poo water to me *chuckle* politicians can be so short sighted and narrow minded I agree, and in that respect I am really pleased that the Wright boys pushed on, no doubts about that aspect...and I can see where you are coming from on the 'hairbrained scheme' thingy.
As I said, a great response that has me thinking now ...
Thanks.
*hugs*
Lilla ...
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
I am soooooo torn. Long term unintended consequences of technology worry me. Glad that you "got" my response. I was afraid after I submitted it that I was too oblique.
Mis
PS Thanks for always "stretching' my ideas and perspective.