Trifter

THE WORLD’S LAST HERD OF WILD CATTLE.

Northumberland has an incomparable tourist attraction. The Wild Cattle of Chillingham is unique in being the only herd in the world that is completely pure with no outside blood ever having been introduced. Some exerts believe that these longhorns are directly descended from the extinct aurochs, the European Wild Ox..

It is thought that these white cattle roamed the Northumbrian wastes during the Celtic Era. They may have been regarded as sacred animals and possibly used as sacrificial offerings to the gods.

The Tankervilles, a long-established Northumbrian family which only recently moved out of Chillingham Castle originally enclosed the park during the late 13th Century to keep the animals available to provide both food and hunting.

Due to the enclosure, these cattle are the only survivors of the once vast herds that ranged the forests of Britain. These animals are completely wild and have the potential to be dangerous. They should be approached with extreme caution and only when accompanied by the resident warden.

They live completely on their own, foraging for herbage throughout the park. The only human involvement or management is the occasional supply of fodder and hay during the more severe winters. Any beast that has contact with humans is immediately driven away from the herd.

Only the king bull mates within the herd. The cow gives birth and nurses the calves in the undergrowth. Later she brings it back to the herd for inspection and acceptance. If they reject it, the calf is driven away.

Younger bulls will challenge the king for leadership of the herd. If the king is defeated, he will leave the herd for a few months before returning in a subordinate position.

Although the herd appears to be immune to Foot and Mouth Disease, a reserve was taken to a secret location in Scotland, following the Northumbrian epidemic during the 1960s, as a precaution against the Chillingham herd being wiped out or destroyed. Even when Foot and Mouth Disease ravaged the neighbourhood in the 1960s and 2001, once getting within one mile of Chillingham, it did not effect the herd.

The only thing that agitates this herd is when the local fox hunt passes by. Perhaps it is a memory of the packs of wolves, which once inhabited these hills.

The Chilling Wild Cattle association take care of the herd, while the 365 acre estate is owned by the College Valley Estates.. They bought the park from the Tankerville estate to ensure that the her’s ancestral home would be preserved.

College Valley Estates have leased the land to the Association as an interim measure. The Association has launched a £2m appeal to buy more land around the park to further protect the herd by acting as a buffer zone against disease.

“Visitors at present are faced with an awkward walk into the park across land which is owned by another family,” said Lord Joicey, the association’s chairman. “Easier access for the visitor and the conservation of this very special park and all its rich biodiversity are our top priorities.”

There are many other creatures, beside the cattle in Chillingham Park, such as red deer and fallow deer. There are also badgers, foxes and red squirrels, which are more suspicious of man and therefore less frequently spotted. It is home to over 50 species of birds and is recognised as having the most northerly colony of nuthatches in the UK.

A tangle of alder trees, closing resembling the Medieval landscape makes up the lower area of the park. The Earl of Tankerville landscaped other parts of the park with large numbers of beeches and oaks being planted during the 1760s. A later earl planted other species of trees, including a Wellingtonia and one of the Sitka Spruce trees ever to be planted in Britain.

“If we purchase the park, the cattle and their grazing ground will be under the same ownership once more,” said Philp Deakin, the Association’s president. “But we want more than the original grazing land, because it is important for biosecurity. With a threat like Foot and Mouth Disease, we have to have a barrier between where the cattle graze and the area outside.

“We also need to improve visitor access. At the moment, it is difficult for people with disabilities to get to see the cattle. If we own the rest of the park, it would give us a different access route and give people a much easier way through to see the cattle.”

The resident warden, who guides people to see the cattle, is responsible for their safety. He will get people as close to the beasts as possible, while giving a talk on them, their behaviour and their history.

Visitors can visit the herd from 10:00 to noon and 14:00 to 17:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 14:00 to 17:00 on Sundays between April 1 and October 31. The park is closed on Tuesdays.

Access to Chillingham Park is not permitted unless visitors are escorted by the warden. Visits to the herd last between one hour and 90 minutes. Out of season visits are possible through prior contact with the warden.

The Association advises visitors to wear suitably strong footwear for the rugged terrain. The route through to the herd is not suitable for people with mobility problems and wheelchair users due to the difficult topography. However the warden can arrange transport up to the herd through prior arrangement.

The warden can be contacted on 01668 215250. Chillingham Park lies between Alnwick and Wooler in North Northumberland.