We are delighted to announce a new addition in our rewilding journey: the introduction of native cattle to the land! Working alongside local farmer Neil Heseltine from Hill Top Farm in Malham, we have welcomed his beautiful Riggit Galloway cows to help us naturally manage and rejuvenate the landscape. These native cattle will play a vital role in supporting biodiversity, fostering a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem.

Why Riggit Galloway Cattle?

The Riggit Galloway breed, with its hardy nature and adaptability, is a perfect match for our rewilding land. This rare and ancient breed, native to the UK, is known for its resilience in varied terrain and weather, as well as its gentle impact on the landscape. Riggit Galloways graze in a way that promotes a balanced and biodiverse landscape, like all livestock, but the difference lies in the management with lower numbers of cattle gazing over extensive areas – ideal for our conservation aims.

Creating Habitats Through Natural Behaviour

The cows roam freely, grazing non-selectively pulling the vegetation with their tongues, eating a wider variety of plants than sheep do,  thereby creating diverse vegetation heights and patterns across the land. Their natural behaviours—grazing, browsing, trampling, dunging, and even rubbing against trees and shrubs—are already transforming our rewilding area. Each of these actions creates small but essential microhabitats that support a variety of flora and fauna.

Grazing and Browsing: The cattle’s natural grazing habits prevent any single species of plant from dominating, allowing a mix of grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs to flourish.

Dunging: Their dung acts as a natural fertiliser and an essential food source for beetles, insects, and microbes, kickstarting a chain of biodiversity.

Trampling and Rubbing: As they move across the land, the cows break up soil and plant matter, creating bare patches where pioneer species can take root, as well as nurturing the soil for burrowing animals.

Each of these actions plays a part in restoring balance to the ecosystem, making room for native plant species to thrive and encouraging a wider array of wildlife to settle in.

Looking Forward

Our hope is that by integrating native cattle into the rewilding process, we will see renewed diversity in plant life and an increase in the presence of small mammals, birds, and insects—each essential to the intricate web of biodiversity. Over time, we envision these efforts resulting in a rich, flourishing ecosystem that can thrive on its own with minimal human intervention.

Building Community Partnerships

This project would not be possible without the support of local partners like Neil Heseltine. By working together, we’re able to bridge our conservation aims with local farming traditions, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that strengthens our shared connection to the land.

The introduction of these cattle is just one of many steps on our path to rewilding and restoring nature. A few months ago we introduced three Iron Age Pigs onto the Sanctuary and can already see the changes they are making to the landscape. Subscribe to the Broughton Sanctuary newsletter to stay tuned for updates as we continue to monitor the land and share our journey in nurturing a more sustainable and diverse ecosystem!

If you are inspired by our journey, we invite you to witness nature evolving first hand with a stay in one of our charming Holiday Homes, available all year round. Immerse yourself in the changing landscape, explore the rewilding areas, and enjoy the tranquillity of nature right at your doorstep.