The New Forest NEW FOREST WILDLIFE The Forest is famous for its wildlife, in particular the ponies
and the cattle. Every ‘wild’ animal is in fact owned by one of
the 400 or so Commoners in the Forest.
The open healthlands of The New Forest make ideal basking
grounds for adders and grass snakes and the 300 pools
dotted over the forest are perfect habitats for frogs, toads
and lizards.
Grazing cattle and ponies keep the grass and scrub short
and are vital to the appearance of the Forest. Without these
‘wild’ animals the forest would very quickly revert to an
overgrown wilderness.
Birds of Prey glide above this ancient idyllic landscape
and on a warm summer’s day, Buzzards, Kestrels and
Sparrowhawks can be seen.
The forest is at its most atmospheric at dusk, at and this is
the best possible time for spotting deer, owls, bats, badgers,
foxes and night jars. NEW FOREST PONIES Approximately 3000 New Forest ponies wander freely
throughout the forest and often spill into the villages. Most
of the ponies are the Native New Forest Breed, but there are
other breeds known as the Shetland Ponies. The latter are
known locally as the ‘little people’.
The ponies are looked after by the Agisters and the ponies’
tales are cut and styled in a unique way according to the
area to which they belong for identification purposes.
Six times a year surplus ponies are auctioned at the newly
refurbished Beaulieu Road sale yard near Lyndhurst.
‘Foresters’ are in great demand as both riding and driving
ponies. CATTLE There is no specific breed of cattle in the New Forest and
there are a dozen so different breeds that wander around
the forest. Among the more striking are the Highland Cattle,
with their horns and shaggy coat. A small fee is paid by
Commoners for the privilege of cattle allowed to graze the
forest and this is indicated by the ear tags that the animals’
wear. DEER The New Forest is home to Red, Fallow, Roe, Japanese Sika
and Chinese Muntjac deer totaling around 2,000 in numbers.
The biggest of the breeds is the Red Deer which is also the
largest wild animal in Britain. The most common breed in
the Forest is the Fallow Deer which have characteristic black
markings around their tail.
There have also been numerous sightings of the legendary
White Buck in the New Forest. PIGS Each Autumn pigs owned by Commoners are allowed onto
the forest for 60 days to eat the acorns which are highly
poisonous to the ponies. This time is traditionally known as
the pannage season. At the end of pannage the pigs must
be herded up and kept on their owner’s land. Pregnant pigs,
know as “privileged sows” are exempt from this 60 day rule
and may graze the forest throughout the year. DONKEYS A less frequent but delightful site is the donkeys that wander
around Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, Burley and on the outskirts
of Sway. These are thought to be around 100 in number.
Curiously, ridden horses, not native to the forest, have an
inbuilt fear of donkeys. | FOREST WILDLIFE NEWS | WILD BOARS HEAD
FOR THE FOREST Wild boars are heading towards the
New Forest and could shortly inhabit
the area for the first time in 200 years.
They have been seen near the A35,
one of the roads that link Dorset and
the New Forest. The animals spotted
are believed to be descendants of
boar that were bred in captivity.
ROGUE PIG ATTACKS WOMAN
A rogue pig charged at a woman rider
in the New Forest causing her horse
to spook and buck her off. The pig
then pushed the woman into a thorny
hedge and tried to bite her legs. She
was saved by a dog walker who not
only chased off the pig but caught her
frightened horse. The woman was
taken to hospital but later released
with broken ribs.
POLECAT BREAKS IN TO
WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
A polecat ‘broke into’ a New
Forest wildlife sanctuary and was
subsequently released back into the
Forest. Figures are not yet available
for the number of polecats roaming
the New Forest. |
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