AssetID: 53991996
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Sussex Dogs Signed Up To Return Wildflowers To Nature Reserve
Caption: The dogs of Lewes have been getting in touch with their inner wolves by helping reseed wildflowers at a local nature reserve. In a ‘first of its kind’ project for the UK, local dogs in the East Sussex town have been emulating their ancestors in giving nature a helping hand. Before wolves were persecuted to extinction in the UK around 1760, they roamed large areas, typically covering 20km or more each night. As they did so they carried wildflower and grass seeds in their fur, often depositing them many miles away to establish new colonies of plants. Dog walkers have been asked by staff at the Railway Land Wildlife Trust in Lewes to equip their hounds with specially designed dog backpacks. As the dogs walk through carefully selected areas of the reserve the holes in the packs allow seeds to be deposited randomly. Because the dogs cover more ground than people and visit areas that are hard to reach, the wildflower seeds are spread more widely across the landscape and germination is likely to be more effective. Said Project Manager Dylan Walker: “This has been such a joyous experience. Local dog walkers have been so helpful and positive about the project. They’ve helped to protect and enhance our nature reserve. Dog walkers often get bad press when walking in the countryside so we’re so pleased to tell a story in which dogs and their owners are the stars!” Dog owner Cressida Murray added: “I signed up for the project because it sounded like such a good fit. I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate Cocker Spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago. It’s such a great project to involve our local community and I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it.” The project has been funded by Ouse Valley Climate Action and trialled on a small area of degraded woodland which previously had no ground vegetation. Following the success of the trial, it is hoped that it can be rolled out more widely next year.
Keywords: dogs,animals,feature,flowers,video,photo
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