That's a start. You need also grey wolves, Eurasian beaver, coypu, muskrat, brown bear, Eurasian lynx, wild boar and many more species that used to live in the British Isles.
Muskrat and coypu were never native to Britain, and it’d probably be a bad idea to go an introduce them. They’re super invasive practically everywhere.
With all my heart I thank you. I am now old and can no longer do work like this, but oh, how you inspire me! Nature: "with you alone is Excellence and peace"... This helps me to know after I am soon gone, this passionate love for nature, thankfully, lives on... Quote from "On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven" which I plagiarize to include Nature💚
I’m a little surprised that they didn’t use Exmoor ponies, an old breed with an ancient appearance that’s of the British Isles. Unless they are. Exmoor ponies would my choice of equine.
Excuse me but I am from UK and I can assure you these are wild horses BUT even though wild they are often fed by humans (rightly or wrongly) and are used to humans being around. You can get about 100 feet from them.
There is a beautiful balance here. Looking at the Yosemite ( in the US) example, they rewilded many creatures but the deer became over populated and nature became out of balance. They reintroduced wolves and it completely restructured the water ways and plant growth bringing nature back into balance. There must be a balance of the herbivores and carnivores (humans included). Hunting with less strictures, should be brought back as well.
@@Antonya944 fixed, looks like she and I both made honest mistakes in our comments. You just took the opportunity to be rude and superior. Also in your first comment if you're going to be anal about someones spelling, you should probably use some punctuation.
we have an overbalance of Red Kites, birds of prey (UK) now but they aren't admitting it yet. Their numbers were reduced down to a few places in Wales i think but now they are everywhere and our little garden bird population is suffering.
I wish they would do that over here in America with are Mustangs and think about what your guys country singing about what your Wild Horses by know they're catching ours and selling them to I guess Canada and different other countries for their meat yes we have a chance to adopt them and I'll be able to open me a Mustang rescue is very great what you guys are doing may God bless you
you know what's next people. bring back top predators like bears and wolves too. we have a duty and an obligation as stewards of nature to assist all animals, carnivores or otherwise.
@@inharmonywithearth9982 bears are endemic to Britain though. They go back they can take down other big game. Yes they are omnivores, but they do hunt when required. They can even take down moose and bison in the Americas!
@Shivam Joshi lions were native to europe until roman times, tigers are native to russia and until the caspian tiger was hunted to extinction, turkey and other parts of the middle east. The only thing stopping tigers and lions from being widespread across europe and asia is us. We've massively reduced their range by literally killing them. If we werent here theyd be widespread like they were in historical times. No idea why ppl are convinced the lions exist only in africa when they used to be the animal with the largest range until we started removing them from their ancestral ranges and tigers practically already live in europe by living in russia and clearly dont mind the cold, europe is ripe for the taking for them if wed stop killing them. Leopards exist in snowy siberia too. They would adapt just fine. We need all the selfish thieving sheep farmers with their subsidies to have their entire flock of useless sheep destroyed so they give up on stealing from the state and let fake environments like the peak district return to forest like it should be. But those sweet tourist dollars from ignorant old people who expect sheep in the peak district. So stupid, i love the horses, but let it turn back to forest. Thats natural, this is fake.
@@inharmonywithearth9982 yes well I want to bring them back along with our reindeer because they are another species that went extinct here because the vikings hunter them to extinction
As someone who has specialized in horse behavior for over 40 years I can tell you that wild horses can be approached, they're curious, and will approach you themselves. If they have seen humans at all in the past they are more likely to approach. If they have never seen humans they will take longer to approach. But I don't recommend approaching them as they can quickly bite or kick.
I was thinking the same. If they use domestic horses, aren't exmoors the most pure ancient breed? And I keep hearing they're in need of conservation, so that would allow their numbers built up more... .
Yess according to the scientific research Exmoor is the closest Tarpan relative. I really don't understand why they aren't so popular as koniks. this breed needs conservation.
What about our Dartmoor ponies? Or New Forest ponies? And the Welsh ponies? Aren't they indigenous to Britain? Don't they have British DNA??? Why do we need Polish ponies?
Koniks haven´t any known genetic connection with wild horses. At least, nothing wasn´t found yet, and that´s significative because it has been found wild horse DNA in many other breeds. Their (konik) history as a breed derived from horses mixed with wild horses (let alone derived solely from wild horses) is filled with holes and with hear say stories, just to be marketable for zoos, reserves, ecofarms, wild farms, etc, etc... This breed is surely overrated and somewhat problematic to the conservation of true primitive local european landraces, by basically «stealing» their place on local rewilding initiatives. And some of these authentic old breeds, which have some wild horse DNA, are becoming endangered. Exmoor is locally adapted, hardy, many still have a primitive phenotype and most Exmoor ponies/horses have wild horse mtDNA. I think that´s a way better option than Koniks.
this is what i think too and it exasperates me. our own native breeds are struggling for survival and their numbers are low. the exmoor pony is one of the most ancient breeds being closely related to the przewalski horses which are shown in cave paintings. don't get me started on the re-introduction of beavers!
Love the idea of rewilding in theory, however, at the rate they are expanding will there not be a major problem of over production? and then what? Natural predators introduced? Culling the herds? What is the plan for the future plan?
Surprisingly Wild Horses will self-regulate own herd numbers by how much resources is available to them having less Offspring When there's less resource having more offspring when there's more available resources. sharing the area with another even with cattle in the areas in the United States that have not been disturbed by man via roundups excetera, the horse herd has stayed at a level amount over 15 years.
Yep, if there is not enough predation, man made or natural, they will outgrow their boundaries. The American West suffers from too many horses, and not enough predators. Don't forget about the woods/forests, they need help too.
Predation by wolves doesn't affect the population in numbers. Google Lotka-Volterra and you'll find out. Those horses will indeed affect the woods, but this is how it was for thousands of years. Woods weren't that abundant in the past 2 million years as often suspected. In fact they were rare, the virgin vegetation was more likely open wood-pastures
As it turns out, horses and camels evolved in N. America. Funny that they prospered once they crossed the Barring land bridge into Asia, and went extinct on the east side. Can't help but wonder why. @@highlyvurgultis3706
That is funny I come from a ranching family in wild horse country, there are not "too many horses" what you have is some fellow ranchers that love an excuse to complain about something out of their control, even though 75% of the land is land they just lease. There never were huge packs of wolves or other predators in the Great Basin, the harsh winters and periodic droughts reduce the population of horses, deer, antelope and elk. We currently have more wild horses in the US in BLM holding pens than in the wild, because of this misguided belief.
I know the Koniks have been specifically bred to mimc the Tarpans, but now that we know the British cattle breeds are descended in part from British aurochsen, isn't it likely the Exmoors and Dartmoors and Welsh ponies are as close to the ancestral Neolithic horses of Europe as the Koniks? And doesn't introducing the Koniks to run free just risk Contamination of Britain's own indigenous horse stocks?
You're right - look at cave paintings, look at Przewalski horses and then look at Exmoor ponies. Truly an ancient breed. Ditto Highland horses. But then it seems that no one in England can stuff an acorn into the ground and grow an oak tree! No! They imported oak saplings from Europe and with it the Oak Processional Moth which threatens to eradicate our oak trees anyway.
Filipe Matias forests are not always the best.. forests are great but you need more habitats. Reforestation is also part of rewilding but other animals help here like wolves
The island of Islay has almost no tree coverage. It supports 50 pairs of Hen Harriers. Large numbers of Golden and White tailed eagle's. Has massive areas of peatland making it a huge carbon sink. It supports 40% of the world's wintering barnacle geese and many other sea birds. But it still has very few trees. Wildlife needs areas with and without forest
I can't work out, based on what is in this report, whether the horses are spreading across Kent of their own accord, or if they're being driven around. Could anyone clarify?
It's strange to see a rewilding project that prevents woodland rather than encourage it, so I would say this shouldn't be happening as prominently as woodland restoration.
In many ways we agree but these nature reserves have specific designations and the biodiversity is increased by the grazing by Koniks over other methods. We do have some very low pressure woodland grazing projects with Koniks which are far more in keeping with true rewilding. But the real issue is land availability and something we campaign on strongly.
The 'wild' British landscape would have had vast herds of grazing animals. Woodland is at an historical high in Britain currently. But because we assume that 'wild' means wooded we forget that grasslands and plains were the 'natural' landscapes of our islands before agriculture took over the land. This means that we must ensure that grasslands and meadows driven by 'natural' processes are allowed to thrive to ensure biodiversity is high. Just allowing this to revert to woodland would not necessarily increase biodiversity. In fact, plenty of evidence suggests that habitats such as this are exactly what much of our insect and birdlife requires, and they are the foundation for the woodland species.
@@livingdeadgir06 Neither method works. Predators alter the behaviour of prey, in that they move around more and are more easily spooked. Which in turn lessens the localised grazing pressure on specific favourite plants they like. Human hunting and sterilisation does NOT do this. Read up on how a few wolves introduced into Yellowstone basically altered the entire landscape, and how rivers flowed.
Wouldn’t it make sense to reintroduce this breed to a national park rather than a nature reserve as they wouldn’t have to be fenced in or be manually regulated.
you need them bunched and moving as allan savory puts it, so that the grass can grow back to a nice long length and maximises the other animals' utilisation of that habitat. Only grace an area once or twice a year
Not at all, we haven't got any large carnivores left in Britain. They are kept as wild as possible, but eyes are of course kept on them should they need veterinary care etc. :)
@@WildwoodtrustOrgcharity Can you confirm that the herd level is managed by selling animals when the herd becomes too large? This happens at other sites of 'rewilding'. Thanks.
Or New Forest ponies,both of those native breeds have more or less existed in Britain since the Ice age,this breed’s introduction doesn’t really make any sense!
Curtailing the cattle herders of Africa almost did in and dried up the African plains. We are removing our central banker's chains. This is our future going forward. In relatively quick time, even the way we build our homes and travel will make sense.
WISH the U.S. would SAVE our "WILD Mustangs" Instead our Government HUNTs-Down our "WILD HORSEs" 🐎 🐎 🐎 & Trucks 🚚 them Across the Boarder to be SLAUGHTERED 😢 😭 😢 .
When the stallions are 'removed' and placed with another herd, they are in fact, breaking up a pre-wilded family, in human society that would be kidnapping! Stallions protect their herds and have risen up a complex family structure to achieve their position. They are sentient beings and we have no right to move them around for the 'conservation' idea that these people have decided. England was historically all woodland and the land is trying to get back to that state, why do they want wet lands?. The long term planning for introducing large herd animals like horses must include ethical treatment of the horses that are 'working' for conservation. Look at the feral horses and burros in the USA and Australia and how their management includes 'culling' to keep the population down. Not sure the visitors of the wet lands in Kent would like to see horses killed in the name of bird conservation!
You need wolves to keep the horses healthy. The wolves prevent overgrazing by keeping the horses moving. Second, the wolves eat the weak and sick horses.
Most wildlife needs woodlands and plenty of ground cover, allowing these horses to graze freely will stop that happening. Do we really want our countryside turned into grass plains, Wild animals need wild environments to live in, this won't happen if all the green shoots are eaten. I see the introduction of these wild horses as a huge unnecessary problem unless they are properly managed.
totally agree, the UK has an unusually low amount of forest coverage compared to the EU, this creates a problem for when it comes to the time we want to reintroduce larger animals such as wolves and lynx as they thrive best in a woodland habitat where they can have a large territory. If we keep introducing grazing species that keep the shrubs low and prevent succession to a climax community of perhaps oak forests then we have no hope of getting to a stage where big, important rewilding projects can start. Though this project has good intentions, i am sceptical that it actually is beneficial
Grazing is a natural component in wooded landscapes too. It massively boosts biodiversity. Look how they used it at Knepp. This was all farmland 10 years ago: czcams.com/video/zFAahVPB_ic/video.html
@@inharmonywithearth9982 This is the wrong way of looking at it. Wetlands and grasslands like this are actually far more endangered than woodlands are in the UK. This is not like a sheep pasture that is cropped intensively. Evidence shows that wildflowers, insects, birdlife, and small mammals thrive in these natural-willed landscapes. If the herds are maintained at a sustainable level, areas will also revert to woodland providing more diverse habitats. But just allowing this to revert to woodland would not necessarily be good for biodiversity. Britain has always been home to vast herds of roaming grazers. And small steps in rewilding like this are essential because, no matter how much you want it, wolves and bears are not going to be released in Kent!! As I said, wetlands and meadowlands are more important for maintaining biodiversity in the UK due to their importance for insects and birds. Woodlands are also essential. But you need to look at this in a more holistic manner.
Another worry I have with introducing wild horses is they don't have a natural predictor, wolves for instance aren't going to be allowed to run around killing them, so their numbers will increase, just check You Tube videos highlighting the problem Australia and Mexico are having for example. I'm afraid grazing animals become a problem if there allowed to run wild., unless they can be contained.
In Harmony With Earth lions haven't existed in Europe since the paleolithic Cave Lions. We had Lynx, Bears, Wolves, Humans, Wolverine and other predators but not Lions
No mention of predators to control the heard size or remove the unhealthy horses. Without those two key management aspects those horses will reproduce until they have eaten all of the available food and/or a disease hits them. Will you add wolves?
@@kaidenhall2718 So you thought up the idea that wolves don't hunt horses...on your own. History and scientists disagree with you. You should google. 😉
I'm not expert but I think there should be some sort of hunting animal since the wild horses were very strong and fast , for this to happen they would need a reason to be fast and strong .
If there are large herbivores, the birds of prey will also catch up, they will begin to enlarge after the prey, as happened with the Haast eagle. People, in spite of Bydalism, strive to enlarge everything, so that the animals would be as large as possible, then the predators will be pulled in size! They are so big and strong that they do not seem to be prey for anyone.
I'm sorry, when you said wild horses I thought you actually meant wild horses. Those aren't what I'd call wild...feral, yes. But there's a difference. czcams.com/video/Lm71-mvOUr8/video.html No mustang would allow humans to get anywhere near them.
i knew the english were smart. And the rest should start by following the english returning their yards and lawns and parts of their farms and cities and towns back to nature as much as they can.
But if you add a prey species into an eco system that lost them thousands of years ago shouldn’t that mean you add a natural predator becasue those horses will just breed and destroy the land more than it will itself as there’s no natural predators to keep them on the move
doesn't really matter since they have re-introduced beavers, so east anglia is going to return to salt swamp and the rest of the uk a bog as beavers have no predators.
@@MsVanorak yes they do Eurasian beavers which are in England are hunted by foxes, lynx and Eurasian wolves now the only ones in England will be lynx and fox.
It’s far better if they also rewild the land with race horses 🏇, a horse that amounts £500K - just imagine how much money the people in country side will make in the next 10yrs. 🤪
I'm sorry but using big grazers with nothing to predate upon them, with the sole purpose of stopping the landscape from healing itself is just using a horse to keep this environment from in its current stagnation for the sake of what? A few rare species? Beavers create wetlands (within the forest you're holding back) so why not just let it grow!
Theoretically we agree with you - but these nature reserves are designated and legally must provide habitat for certain species & beyond our control to determine management regimes - the koniks do a better job than the previous domestic livestock. Some of our koniks are in woodland at very low densities which provide very low pressure grazing giving real diversity to woodland regeneration, which is the true essence of rewilding. But we hope to influence future concepts of nature reserve practice to allow greater succession and not be single species focused.
Wildwood Trust yes there is a real problem with conservation in this country, the idea of keeping things the same to suit one or two particular creatures. Rather than encouraging as much diversity as possible.
Wild Horses - Humanity’s Noble Challenge for Today (excerpt) Craig Downer Wildlife Ecologist “For example, since horses are post-gastric, or caecal, digesters, they balance out the overwhelming number of domesticated sheep and cattle that Europeans have imposed upon Australia, as well as the deer introduced to be hunted by man. All these are ruminant-digesters. This is a major point I have emphasized for range managers here in North America and it applies to Europe, Asia, Africa, and throughout the world. Ruminants more thoroughly digest the vegetation they eat and consequently their feces are more decomposed and do not provide as much fodder to the ecosystem where they are deposited, i.e. less substance from which other species can derive metabolic benefit when compared with horses and their contribution. Thus, wild-horse-containing ecosystems can have richer soils that retain more moisture and more intact seeds of a greater variety of plant species that germinate in more humus-rich soils. Truly, a wild-horse-containing ecosystem can be an enhanced, more species-rich ecosystem - even in Australia where the brumbies can benefit many native species of plants and animals as well, i.e. those that have evolved here for a lot longer than the horses, yet find mutual beneficial companionship with horses, as our own human species had done.”
How bizzare. We'll intentioned and pretty but once again, man is artificially altering the landscape. As nice as this result might be, the natural process is for forests to regenerate as well, but these mobile lawnmowers eat everything in their path creating artificial, unbalanced, albeit pretty, wetlands. Like deer, they're chronic over grazers if left unchecked. The natural process would be to also reintroduce their natural predators. This keeps the herds moving and in check, then you end up with a proper natural rewilded area with a natural balance between woodland and wetlands. A good start none the less but this is only half the picture.
They would have to fence off any areas that they want to grow trees on - which are needed. Horses can double their population in 1.5 generations so perhaps they chose this breed over a native UK one because they look like they would pack the pounds on for the meat market and its not such a long journey from that side of the country. 'field to fork' Sssshhhh!
Western Beaver could do the same job and do it better. You Brits are hilarious. czcams.com/video/vQwDuPEQbMc/video.html OR if you only need to knock down scrub, gotta word for your. GOATS.
Konik ponies originate in Poland. There is a small herd managing an RSPB reserve not far from where we live.
Britain had several species of native horse, most of them large pony sized, and all of them sturdy, agile, and highly intelligent.
Thank everyone for your help and support the wild horses welcome to Missouri your friend Marian from Farmington Missouri Animals Rights member
They are very tame for wild horses. They love a cuddle and scratch 😂
That's a start. You need also grey wolves, Eurasian beaver, coypu, muskrat, brown bear, Eurasian lynx, wild boar and many more species that used to live in the British Isles.
Coypu and muskrat don't belong there. They're alien to Europe.
Muskrat and coypu were never native to Britain, and it’d probably be a bad idea to go an introduce them. They’re super invasive practically everywhere.
Coypus (native form South America) were eradicated in UK in 1989 with an hugh economic cost and 10 years work!!
Beaver and wild boat are already here. Yes to the others although not sure we have the space for bears anymore due to human overpopulation
But the UK already has indigenous wild horses and ponies.
Why dont the use the exmoor ponies, native to Birtain ?
You can see his passion for horses!
With all my heart I thank you. I am now old and can no longer do work like this, but oh, how you inspire me!
Nature: "with you alone is Excellence and peace"...
This helps me to know after I am soon gone, this passionate love for nature, thankfully, lives on...
Quote from "On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven" which I plagiarize to include Nature💚
I have seen them it’s breath taking seeing them free in the landscape. ❤
This is AMAZING! Get the horses back all over Europe
Domestic animals everywhere isn’t good and also there bad rewinding should help the environment
I’m a little surprised that they didn’t use Exmoor ponies, an old breed with an ancient appearance that’s of the British Isles. Unless they are. Exmoor ponies would my choice of equine.
Yes I wondered about that too. Exmoor ponies are an ancient breed, and a rare breed now.
Also New Forest ponies are indigenous,amongst others.
Now that prey animals are coming back to the brittish isles, it could be a great idea to bring wolves back again, isn't?
'Pray' animals? They are almost extinct in the British Isles... thankfully.
@Thomas McGinley It was a (bad) joke due to a misspelling.
Yup
@@wodenravens btw HAIL THE ONE-EYED
@Thomas McGinley wolves can prey on foals which would keep a steady population
In the future I imagine konik horses bison and deer herds❤️
wolfs and lynx
We already have far too many deer
If can walk up to a herd and they tolerate you, they are not wild.
Aurochs, water buffalo in England too and reindeer and Saiga in Scottish Highlands
@Shivam Joshi wrong . They are native to all of Europe and Asias grassland and steppe
1:10 where did they come from?
Wildlife trust: In a word "Holland"
Flevoland: am I a joke to you?
The rest of the Netherlands: Yes
In fact horses come from Poland originally. Konik is a breed from Poland.
Excuse me but I am from UK and I can assure you these are wild horses BUT even though wild they are often fed by humans (rightly or wrongly) and are used to humans being around. You can get about 100 feet from them.
There is a beautiful balance here. Looking at the Yosemite ( in the US) example, they rewilded many creatures but the deer became over populated and nature became out of balance. They reintroduced wolves and it completely restructured the water ways and plant growth bringing nature back into balance. There must be a balance of the herbivores and carnivores (humans included). Hunting with less strictures, should be brought back as well.
What are you talking about wolves don't live in yosemite national park anymore and please fix your spelling
@@Antonya944 she's talking about Yellowstone and obviously just got the places mixed up
@@morgasm657 she not he cmon dude ain't that hard to know genders
@@Antonya944 fixed, looks like she and I both made honest mistakes in our comments. You just took the opportunity to be rude and superior. Also in your first comment if you're going to be anal about someones spelling, you should probably use some punctuation.
we have an overbalance of Red Kites, birds of prey (UK) now but they aren't admitting it yet. Their numbers were reduced down to a few places in Wales i think but now they are everywhere and our little garden bird population is suffering.
I wish they would do that over here in America with are Mustangs and think about what your guys country singing about what your Wild Horses by know they're catching ours and selling them to I guess Canada and different other countries for their meat yes we have a chance to adopt them and I'll be able to open me a Mustang rescue is very great what you guys are doing may God bless you
Excellent Presentation, Thanks.
you know what's next people. bring back top predators like bears and wolves too. we have a duty and an obligation as stewards of nature to assist all animals, carnivores or otherwise.
righthandstep5 lynx and wolves
@@inharmonywithearth9982 bears are endemic to Britain though. They go back they can take down other big game. Yes they are omnivores, but they do hunt when required. They can even take down moose and bison in the Americas!
@Shivam Joshi lions were native to europe until roman times, tigers are native to russia and until the caspian tiger was hunted to extinction, turkey and other parts of the middle east. The only thing stopping tigers and lions from being widespread across europe and asia is us. We've massively reduced their range by literally killing them. If we werent here theyd be widespread like they were in historical times. No idea why ppl are convinced the lions exist only in africa when they used to be the animal with the largest range until we started removing them from their ancestral ranges and tigers practically already live in europe by living in russia and clearly dont mind the cold, europe is ripe for the taking for them if wed stop killing them. Leopards exist in snowy siberia too. They would adapt just fine. We need all the selfish thieving sheep farmers with their subsidies to have their entire flock of useless sheep destroyed so they give up on stealing from the state and let fake environments like the peak district return to forest like it should be. But those sweet tourist dollars from ignorant old people who expect sheep in the peak district. So stupid, i love the horses, but let it turn back to forest. Thats natural, this is fake.
@@inharmonywithearth9982 yes well I want to bring them back along with our reindeer because they are another species that went extinct here because the vikings hunter them to extinction
@@KingDomIV yea the UK’s cave lion was massive bigger than smilersdon if only we hadn’t caused them to go extinct
Great job!
If these horses are really wild you wouldn't be able to get near them
@Shivam Joshi semi-domestic*
If it’s wild it will run on sight
As someone who has specialized in horse behavior for over 40 years I can tell you that wild horses can be approached, they're curious, and will approach you themselves. If they have seen humans at all in the past they are more likely to approach. If they have never seen humans they will take longer to approach. But I don't recommend approaching them as they can quickly bite or kick.
Great video. And beautiful host!
Hell, the Exmoor ponies are damn near wild...close to the wild type as they come!!
I was thinking the same. If they use domestic horses, aren't exmoors the most pure ancient breed? And I keep hearing they're in need of conservation, so that would allow their numbers built up more... .
Yess according to the scientific research Exmoor is the closest Tarpan relative. I really don't understand why they aren't so popular as koniks. this breed needs conservation.
Yup. I dont think they understand native pony breeds.
Aww I have wild horses living in a field near my house and sadly someone bought that land and put a fence around the area :(
Good there bad for the environment
Cool program❤❤❤
What about our Dartmoor ponies? Or New Forest ponies? And the Welsh ponies? Aren't they indigenous to Britain? Don't they have British DNA??? Why do we need Polish ponies?
@Shivam Joshi I have Exmoor ponies rewilding part of my plot. They do very well.
Koniks haven´t any known genetic connection with wild horses. At least, nothing wasn´t found yet, and that´s significative because it has been found wild horse DNA in many other breeds. Their (konik) history as a breed derived from horses mixed with wild horses (let alone derived solely from wild horses) is filled with holes and with hear say stories, just to be marketable for zoos, reserves, ecofarms, wild farms, etc, etc... This breed is surely overrated and somewhat problematic to the conservation of true primitive local european landraces, by basically «stealing» their place on local rewilding initiatives. And some of these authentic old breeds, which have some wild horse DNA, are becoming endangered. Exmoor is locally adapted, hardy, many still have a primitive phenotype and most Exmoor ponies/horses have wild horse mtDNA. I think that´s a way better option than Koniks.
Because the Polish work harder 😉 (as the Grandson of a Polish woman I can actually vouch for that, maybe it does work with horses too)
this is what i think too and it exasperates me. our own native breeds are struggling for survival and their numbers are low. the exmoor pony is one of the most ancient breeds being closely related to the przewalski horses which are shown in cave paintings. don't get me started on the re-introduction of beavers!
Because the bbc is mentally retarded
Love the idea of rewilding in theory, however, at the rate they are expanding will there not be a major problem of over production? and then what? Natural predators introduced? Culling the herds? What is the plan for the future plan?
breeding is controlled to prevent this issue
Hopefully it’s a mix of both I would like to see British predators back in the wild Lynx, wolf, bear.
Hunting
Surprisingly Wild Horses will self-regulate own herd numbers by how much resources is available to them having less Offspring When there's less resource having more offspring when there's more available resources. sharing the area with another even with cattle in the areas in the United States that have not been disturbed by man via roundups excetera, the horse herd has stayed at a level amount over 15 years.
Look at Richmond Park London,
It's funny how the British and the Dutch take credit for someone else. It was Poland that made the race not extinct.
True, these horses originate from Poland and have been there for a very long time.
horrific levels of overgrazing, the only predator that will kill a horse is a cave lion
Great video part of our Rewilding playlist. Thanks
I long to hear of rewilding wild horses here in Colorado as well
Yep, if there is not enough predation, man made or natural, they will outgrow their boundaries. The American West suffers from too many horses, and not enough predators. Don't forget about the woods/forests, they need help too.
Predation by wolves doesn't affect the population in numbers. Google Lotka-Volterra and you'll find out. Those horses will indeed affect the woods, but this is how it was for thousands of years. Woods weren't that abundant in the past 2 million years as often suspected. In fact they were rare, the virgin vegetation was more likely open wood-pastures
@@gutemorcheln6134 they actually do
unlike the in the USA, Horses are actually native to Europe
As it turns out, horses and camels evolved in N. America. Funny that they prospered once they crossed the Barring land bridge into Asia, and went extinct on the east side. Can't help but wonder why. @@highlyvurgultis3706
That is funny I come from a ranching family in wild horse country, there are not "too many horses" what you have is some fellow ranchers that love an excuse to complain about something out of their control, even though 75% of the land is land they just lease. There never were huge packs of wolves or other predators in the Great Basin, the harsh winters and periodic droughts reduce the population of horses, deer, antelope and elk. We currently have more wild horses in the US in BLM holding pens than in the wild, because of this misguided belief.
I know the Koniks have been specifically bred to mimc the Tarpans, but now that we know the British cattle breeds are descended in part from British aurochsen, isn't it likely the Exmoors and Dartmoors and Welsh ponies are as close to the ancestral Neolithic horses of Europe as the Koniks? And doesn't introducing the Koniks to run free just risk Contamination of Britain's own indigenous horse stocks?
You're right - look at cave paintings, look at Przewalski horses and then look at Exmoor ponies. Truly an ancient breed. Ditto Highland horses. But then it seems that no one in England can stuff an acorn into the ground and grow an oak tree! No! They imported oak saplings from Europe and with it the Oak Processional Moth which threatens to eradicate our oak trees anyway.
Reforestation and rewilding must BE a joint operation!
Filipe Matias forests are not always the best.. forests are great but you need more habitats. Reforestation is also part of rewilding but other animals help here like wolves
@@jonasbroos2333 I second this. We need diverse ecosystems to have truly wild land
The island of Islay has almost no tree coverage. It supports 50 pairs of Hen Harriers. Large numbers of Golden and White tailed eagle's. Has massive areas of peatland making it a huge carbon sink. It supports 40% of the world's wintering barnacle geese and many other sea birds. But it still has very few trees. Wildlife needs areas with and without forest
I can't work out, based on what is in this report, whether the horses are spreading across Kent of their own accord, or if they're being driven around. Could anyone clarify?
James own accord
Sorry.......... really think you should have used old UK native breeds like the Exmoor and Fell ponies who are just as hardy and threatened.
'field to fork' I'm thinking - not far to market!
Konik means little horse :)
THATS ADORABLE
Sadly...the US cannot get rid of it's wild Mustangs fast enough......they are turning up in slaughter auctions...
It's strange to see a rewilding project that prevents woodland rather than encourage it, so I would say this shouldn't be happening as prominently as woodland restoration.
In many ways we agree but these nature reserves have specific designations and the biodiversity is increased by the grazing by Koniks over other methods. We do have some very low pressure woodland grazing projects with Koniks which are far more in keeping with true rewilding. But the real issue is land availability and something we campaign on strongly.
@@WildwoodtrustOrgcharity some woman said that if you can walk up to a herd and they tolerate you then they are not wild.
@Shivam Joshi they act as wild horses to the wild environment and that is all that matters
The 'wild' British landscape would have had vast herds of grazing animals. Woodland is at an historical high in Britain currently. But because we assume that 'wild' means wooded we forget that grasslands and plains were the 'natural' landscapes of our islands before agriculture took over the land. This means that we must ensure that grasslands and meadows driven by 'natural' processes are allowed to thrive to ensure biodiversity is high. Just allowing this to revert to woodland would not necessarily increase biodiversity. In fact, plenty of evidence suggests that habitats such as this are exactly what much of our insect and birdlife requires, and they are the foundation for the woodland species.
@@wodenravens they were until after the last ice age yes
but you need predators to keep them in check also.. so wolves and bears are needed also
you can use darts to sterilise mares so that they can't breed
@@livingdeadgir06 Neither method works. Predators alter the behaviour of prey, in that they move around more and are more easily spooked. Which in turn lessens the localised grazing pressure on specific favourite plants they like. Human hunting and sterilisation does NOT do this. Read up on how a few wolves introduced into Yellowstone basically altered the entire landscape, and how rivers flowed.
Lynx are more important
@@kingy002 man doesn't do as good a job of selecting the weakest animals
Wouldn’t it make sense to reintroduce this breed to a national park rather than a nature reserve as they wouldn’t have to be fenced in or be manually regulated.
Couldn't watch the whole thing, sadly, but I do hope they mentioned later on that Konik Horse was a breed originally from Poland.
spirit theme intensifies
you need them bunched and moving as allan savory puts it, so that the grass can grow back to a nice long length and maximises the other animals' utilisation of that habitat. Only grace an area once or twice a year
Get wolves. Like they are least fowl predator. Just get some wolves !
Beautiful primitive markings
Here, here to right hand step below
❤️❤️❤️🐎🐎🐎🌼🌼🌼
It's Konik Polski not Konik Pony. Is it a war with Poland that, like with German Shepards calling Alzacians, you guys changed the name?
Wild horses and she standing 10 feet from them. 😂
A large portion of those houses dies in holland due to starvation
Exciting, but do they have natural predators there? How are populations managed?
Not at all, we haven't got any large carnivores left in Britain. They are kept as wild as possible, but eyes are of course kept on them should they need veterinary care etc. :)
@@WildwoodtrustOrgcharity Can you confirm that the herd level is managed by selling animals when the herd becomes too large? This happens at other sites of 'rewilding'. Thanks.
'field to fork'
Only Exmoor ponies should be used.
Or New Forest ponies,both of those native breeds have more or less existed in Britain since the Ice age,this breed’s introduction doesn’t really make any sense!
Is it Julie Dawn Cole
Oostvaardersplassen!😂
(Only dutch people get this)
Curtailing the cattle herders of Africa almost did in and dried up the African plains. We are removing our central banker's chains. This is our future going forward. In relatively quick time, even the way we build our homes and travel will make sense.
Love n lite all n me very happy SOLSTICE ✍️💫✨🌙
BBC has Become the DDC
"ladies are in charge" Obviously you have never actually paid attention to a herd of wild horses
Monty Roberts a world expert knows Mustangs, and it is the headmistress that rules the herd.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konik
real tarpan horse
why not Przewalskis? Tarpans were domestic horses gone wild and did not exist in England after the last Ice Age. How do you take care of their hooves?
Wild horses in Britain isn't new
Who are the natural predators for the horses...
French, sell to France as horse meat.
Wolves bears and in America there biggest predator is cougars
@@kaidenhall2718 bears eat berries, honey and salmon. it would be incredibly rare for one to take down a deer or wild horse
WISH the U.S. would SAVE our "WILD Mustangs"
Instead our Government HUNTs-Down our "WILD HORSEs"
🐎 🐎 🐎
& Trucks 🚚 them Across the Boarder to be SLAUGHTERED
😢 😭 😢
.
those are not "wild" horses... you are standing 5 feet from them
ZDG they are wild... if you can stand close it doesnt mean they arent wild
I have wild flowers in my plot: they never run away or attack me.
Good stuff, although they could add przewalski horses too. True ice age stock. Very much endangered too
"wild and untamed"
*Pets horse*
When the stallions are 'removed' and placed with another herd, they are in fact, breaking up a pre-wilded family, in human society that would be kidnapping! Stallions protect their herds and have risen up a complex family structure to achieve their position. They are sentient beings and we have no right to move them around for the 'conservation' idea that these people have decided. England was historically all woodland and the land is trying to get back to that state, why do they want wet lands?. The long term planning for introducing large herd animals like horses must include ethical treatment of the horses that are 'working' for conservation. Look at the feral horses and burros in the USA and Australia and how their management includes 'culling' to keep the population down. Not sure the visitors of the wet lands in Kent would like to see horses killed in the name of bird conservation!
You need wolves to keep the horses healthy. The wolves prevent overgrazing by keeping the horses moving. Second, the wolves eat the weak and sick horses.
They should have introduced smaller herbivore instead. It just takes too many wolves to take down a horse compare to smaller prey.
Interesting. Konik is slavic name.
Polish horses.
Most wildlife needs woodlands and plenty of ground cover, allowing these horses to graze freely will stop that happening. Do we really want our countryside turned into grass plains, Wild animals need wild environments to live in, this won't happen if all the green shoots are eaten. I see the introduction of these wild horses as a huge unnecessary problem unless they are properly managed.
trees won't grow everywhere especially on wet soils in fact we don't want the same species of tree everywhere
totally agree, the UK has an unusually low amount of forest coverage compared to the EU, this creates a problem for when it comes to the time we want to reintroduce larger animals such as wolves and lynx as they thrive best in a woodland habitat where they can have a large territory. If we keep introducing grazing species that keep the shrubs low and prevent succession to a climax community of perhaps oak forests then we have no hope of getting to a stage where big, important rewilding projects can start.
Though this project has good intentions, i am sceptical that it actually is beneficial
Grazing is a natural component in wooded landscapes too. It massively boosts biodiversity. Look how they used it at Knepp. This was all farmland 10 years ago: czcams.com/video/zFAahVPB_ic/video.html
@@inharmonywithearth9982 This is the wrong way of looking at it. Wetlands and grasslands like this are actually far more endangered than woodlands are in the UK. This is not like a sheep pasture that is cropped intensively. Evidence shows that wildflowers, insects, birdlife, and small mammals thrive in these natural-willed landscapes. If the herds are maintained at a sustainable level, areas will also revert to woodland providing more diverse habitats. But just allowing this to revert to woodland would not necessarily be good for biodiversity. Britain has always been home to vast herds of roaming grazers. And small steps in rewilding like this are essential because, no matter how much you want it, wolves and bears are not going to be released in Kent!! As I said, wetlands and meadowlands are more important for maintaining biodiversity in the UK due to their importance for insects and birds. Woodlands are also essential. But you need to look at this in a more holistic manner.
@@beetooex I second the comment about Knepp. People have misconceptions about what a 'wild' landscape looks like.
🐴
Na koniki polskie najlepiej specjalnie projektowane polskie siodła.
Another worry I have with introducing wild horses is they don't have a natural predictor, wolves for instance aren't going to be allowed to run around killing them, so their numbers will increase, just check You Tube videos highlighting the problem Australia and Mexico are having for example. I'm afraid grazing animals become a problem if there allowed to run wild., unless they can be contained.
you cull them like we do with red deer in Scotland
In Harmony With Earth lions haven't existed in Europe since the paleolithic Cave Lions.
We had Lynx, Bears, Wolves, Humans, Wolverine and other predators but not Lions
Alan Roddis they haven’t reintroduced they’re predators...wolves we killed off all the wolves in the UK.
Actually in Britain wild horses natural predators are wolves and bears get your facts strait
@@moreston4366 actually lions existed in roman times
I feel like horses are the least likely species of animal to go extinct
They help other animals survive
No mention of predators to control the heard size or remove the unhealthy horses. Without those two key management aspects those horses will reproduce until they have eaten all of the available food and/or a disease hits them. Will you add wolves?
We control breeding
Wolves don’t hunt horses horses can kill wolves in one kick or break there bones
@@kaidenhall2718 Where did you get the idea that wolves don't hunt wild horses?
@@glenw3814 as I stated one kick can kill or break a wolves bones
@@kaidenhall2718 So you thought up the idea that wolves don't hunt horses...on your own. History and scientists disagree with you. You should google. 😉
I'm not expert but I think there should be some sort of hunting animal since the wild horses were very strong and fast , for this to happen they would need a reason to be fast and strong .
If there are large herbivores, the birds of prey will also catch up, they will begin to enlarge after the prey, as happened with the Haast eagle. People, in spite of Bydalism, strive to enlarge everything, so that the animals would be as large as possible, then the predators will be pulled in size! They are so big and strong that they do not seem to be prey for anyone.
KONIK : POLISH breed. Means, simply, "little horse", in polish.
What are they good for. Can we hunt them
I'm sorry, when you said wild horses I thought you actually meant wild horses. Those aren't what I'd call wild...feral, yes. But there's a difference. czcams.com/video/Lm71-mvOUr8/video.html No mustang would allow humans to get anywhere near them.
Mustangs are almost a fully domesticated but koniks aren’t
i knew the english were smart. And the rest should start by following the english returning their yards and lawns and parts of their farms and cities and towns back to nature as much as they can.
Will you marry me - you are wonderful!
Wtf
Ewwwwwww
This is not rewilding. rewilding would in fact allow the marshes to return to a woodland environment. It is however kind of cool to see horses back.
They are feral not wild.
But if you add a prey species into an eco system that lost them thousands of years ago shouldn’t that mean you add a natural predator becasue those horses will just breed and destroy the land more than it will itself as there’s no natural predators to keep them on the move
doesn't really matter since they have re-introduced beavers, so east anglia is going to return to salt swamp and the rest of the uk a bog as beavers have no predators.
@@MsVanorak yes they do Eurasian beavers which are in England are hunted by foxes, lynx and Eurasian wolves now the only ones in England will be lynx and fox.
@@gyalsnextman4725 i don't think we have wild lynx, not sure.
@@MsVanorak yeah true they’re extinct in England but there’s still foxes 🤣
@@gyalsnextman4725 they reintroduced beavers somewhere near where i am on thr welsh borders and one of them turned up dead.
With u standing next to them they dont look wild
It’s far better if they also rewild the land with race horses 🏇, a horse that amounts £500K - just imagine how much money the people in country side will make in the next 10yrs. 🤪
But if they were everywhere the price would decrease
Not very hardy - need Winter shelter.
I'm sorry but using big grazers with nothing to predate upon them, with the sole purpose of stopping the landscape from healing itself is just using a horse to keep this environment from in its current stagnation for the sake of what? A few rare species? Beavers create wetlands (within the forest you're holding back) so why not just let it grow!
Theoretically we agree with you - but these nature reserves are designated and legally must provide habitat for certain species & beyond our control to determine management regimes - the koniks do a better job than the previous domestic livestock. Some of our koniks are in woodland at very low densities which provide very low pressure grazing giving real diversity to woodland regeneration, which is the true essence of rewilding. But we hope to influence future concepts of nature reserve practice to allow greater succession and not be single species focused.
Wildwood Trust yes there is a real problem with conservation in this country, the idea of keeping things the same to suit one or two particular creatures. Rather than encouraging as much diversity as possible.
Wild Horses - Humanity’s Noble Challenge for Today (excerpt)
Craig Downer
Wildlife Ecologist
“For example, since horses are post-gastric, or caecal, digesters, they balance out the overwhelming number of domesticated sheep and cattle that Europeans have imposed upon Australia, as well as the deer introduced to be hunted by man. All these are ruminant-digesters. This is a major point I have emphasized for range managers here in North America and it applies to Europe, Asia, Africa, and throughout the world. Ruminants more thoroughly digest the vegetation they eat and consequently their feces are more decomposed and do not provide as much fodder to the ecosystem where they are deposited, i.e. less substance from which other species can derive metabolic benefit when compared with horses and their contribution. Thus, wild-horse-containing ecosystems can have richer soils that retain more moisture and more intact seeds of a greater variety of plant species that germinate in more humus-rich soils. Truly, a wild-horse-containing ecosystem can be an enhanced, more species-rich ecosystem - even in Australia where the brumbies can benefit many native species of plants and animals as well, i.e. those that have evolved here for a lot longer than the horses, yet find mutual beneficial companionship with horses, as our own human species had done.”
Now we just need to re-introduce wolves and lynxes to keep the herbivore population in check
Horses kill wolves in one kick and lynx don’t eat horses everywhere but if your meaning dear absolutely
need to bring wolves linyx and baer all of Europe have and UK to
How bizzare.
We'll intentioned and pretty but once again, man is artificially altering the landscape.
As nice as this result might be, the natural process is for forests to regenerate as well, but these mobile lawnmowers eat everything in their path creating artificial, unbalanced, albeit pretty, wetlands. Like deer, they're chronic over grazers if left unchecked.
The natural process would be to also reintroduce their natural predators.
This keeps the herds moving and in check, then you end up with a proper natural rewilded area with a natural balance between woodland and wetlands.
A good start none the less but this is only half the picture.
They would have to fence off any areas that they want to grow trees on - which are needed. Horses can double their population in 1.5 generations so perhaps they chose this breed over a native UK one because they look like they would pack the pounds on for the meat market and its not such a long journey from that side of the country. 'field to fork' Sssshhhh!
This is pathetic why not use native horses which need help. This just about having something different.
'field to fork' perhaps and they are close to the market there!
Western Beaver could do the same job and do it better. You Brits are hilarious. czcams.com/video/vQwDuPEQbMc/video.html OR if you only need to knock down scrub, gotta word for your. GOATS.
Ya reckon all them Muslims gonna share yer enthusiasm fer wildlife??
Over weight horse smh 🤦♂️