A 3rd foal disappeared inside ten days from the herd of Exmoor ponies on the Aekingerzand

A foal from a herd of Exmoor ponies was born on the Aekingerzand final weekend and has not been seen since yesterday morning. It can’t be stated with certainty that the animal was caught by a wolf, but it surely can’t be dominated out both. Two foals additionally disappeared final week; the stays of one of many two have been recovered. The DNA was taken from that foal to find out if it had been attacked by a wolf.

Lysander van Oossanen, curator of the Staatsbosbeheer within the Drents-Friese Wold, regrets that the most recent foal has not been seen once more. “The Exmoor ponies that journey right here partly come from the Dellebuursterheide and the Fochteloërveen, areas the place wolves additionally reside. So the animals are used to wolves, however they must get used to one another and that takes time. We hope that issues will enhance sooner or later.

To stop the dunes within the Aekingerzand from turning into forests, it’s essential to graze. In line with Staatsbosbeheer, that is greatest completed with sheep and ponies. “We’ve got been in a position to graze for years with free-roaming sheep. However when the wolf got here, that is not potential. We’ve got now been working with flocks sheep for a number of years and they’re doing very nicely. However we see that it’s actually too little.

It’s potential to take away Exmoor ponies and graze them solely with sheep along with a shepherd. “However then it’s totally labour-intensive. These are very costly initiatives should you work with flocks of sheep. We additionally attempt to graze with horses, as a result of they’ll stroll round a day at night time and they don’t seem to be locked in cages at night time.”

Massive cows are additionally much less appropriate for grazing on the Aekingerzand due to their mouths. “This has to do with the truth that a horse has higher and decrease tooth. It grazes with its tooth. This enables it to eat very brief vegetation. A cow eats with its tongue, it has a totally totally different consuming sample and consuming fully otherwise. In sandy soil, horses and sheep are the most effective grazers.

Chicken’s nests can’t be prevented even by horses, the ranger explains. “Nevertheless it’s a unique factor than a flock of sheep shifting very tightly via a discipline. Then you could have 300 instances 4 legs, so the prospect of throwing nests is way higher than should you let a herd of horses that reside free to roam.” However in fact there can be some casualties.”

Staatsbosbeheer hopes that peace and quiet will return to the Aekingerzand quickly. “I consider a herd that may be very related to the wolves, as a result of they preserve strolling by. You additionally see that with the Sayaguesas, that they present a unique conduct a- now that they’re extra used to the wolf. We hope that right here too. That there’s way more peace and quiet, so that folks can journey once more on the horse tracks and it’s virtually. as earlier than.