Cattle released in London rewilding project

Cattle have been released on a London site as part of what has been described as a large-scale urban rewilding project.

For the first time in more than half a century, three Sussex cows were released into Tolworth Court Farm Fields in south-west London, as part of the Wild Tolworth project.

The initiative is a partnership between Kingston Council, Citizen Zoo and The Community Brain that has restored wetlands to the site, where they say the cattle will be free to roam.

In a statement, Citizen Zoo said: "It's about building resilience to a changing climate, reconnecting people with the living world, and creating something local communities can feel proud of every time they pass by."

The Community Brain said: "What was just a dream five years ago is now becoming a reality with the new wetlands already demonstrating their massive impact and now cattle coming on to the site."

The 42-hectare site, which used to be home to skylarks, lapwing, and bullfinches, has been undergoing restoration to encourage wildlife back to the Hogsmill River area.

Elliot Newton, from Citizen Zoo, said the cows would act as "stewards" of the landscape and would improve the ecosystem by making way for wildflowers to grow, and supporting insects such as dung beetles with their manure.

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