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Ewe won’t believe what can be spotted on Hampstead Heath this month: five rare sheep, grazing on one of London’s most popular green spaces.
So what exactly makes a sheep rare? Well, the Norfolk Horn and Oxford Down are particularly uncommon breeds, and will be making a wool-y short appearance on the Heath for 13 days only.
No more puns – we don’t want to bleat around the bush (okay, last one). The introduction of five rare sheep to Hampstead Heath brings back a historic tradition. The grazing animals used to be a familiar sight at the Heath, munching their way through its pastures from the 18th century right through to the 1950s.
The five sheep heading to Hampstead Heath this September are on loan from east London’s Mudchute City Farm as part of a conservation grazing project. The City of London Corporation hopes the sheep will have a positive impact on the land. Not only do sheep selectively eat dominant plants, which means more plant diversity in the area, but they also provide an alternative to land machinery, managing the grass without impacting the underground wildlife.
A previously successful 2023 project had more than 60 volunteers keeping an eye out for the wooly creatures, as they chowed down on grass near particularly uneven ground. This meant sections of the Heath that are unreachable by machinery were able get the care they needed from the natural stomping and chewing of the sheep.
Commenting on the new grazing project, Alderman Gregory Jones KC, chair of the City’s Hampstead Heath committee, said: ‘Grazing sheep were a familiar part of Heath life for generations, and archive discoveries have helped us better understand that history.
‘By bringing sheep back to the Heath, we’re reconnecting with that heritage while learning how to care for this special landscape in the future.’
With hundreds of thousands of people passing through the Heath every month, these five sheep are likely to receive a fair bit of love and attention. Just make sure to keep an eye on your dog – the sheep are not interested in a chase!
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