Meet the animals helping to look after our country parks

Grazing animals have been used to manage land for centuries. They help keep scrub back and the grass at just the right length to help wildflowers and insects thrive.

Without grazing, grassland can quickly become overgrown and the plants, insects and creatures that depend on it disappear.

Cudmore Grove Country Park – on the marshes of the park you will see red poll cattle and Dorset down sheep who are helping to keep the grass short for wading birds.

Hadleigh Country Park – across the park, there are cattle, goats and sometimes sheep. Cheviot goats, a hardy rare breed from the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland, like to munch on the tougher scrub and bramble that cattle won’t touch.

Marsh Farm Country Park – rich grazing marsh alongside the waterways makes tasty grass for the sheep here.

Thorndon Country Park – alongside the cattle and goats, you might also see rare breed Dorset down sheep.

Weald Country Park – famous for its herd of fallow deer, the red poll cattle also graze here.

Native breeds are part of our heritage and many of the livestock you see in our parks are listed on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust watchlist.

Depending on the season, animals move between fields and areas in the country park. Sometimes they roam free where you might encounter them on a walk. Sometimes there’s carefully secured fencing to keep them in one place.

Park rangers monitor their health and welfare, checking on them regularly to make sure they’re happy and have good access to water and food – with fields of grassland and scrub stretching as far as the eye can see, this is rarely a problem!

Animals have a wide and varied diet – not just grass, but herbs and scrub. Brambles are a tasty treat for goats!

Grazing is a wonderful way to help biodiversity. Where the cattle, sheep and goats go, beautiful wildflowers follow, creating attractive places for insects, birds and small mammals who love the shorter and varied grassland.

When animals walk on the land, their feet push fallen seeds into the soil. This helps more to germinate and grow into wildflowers.

Don’t forget the poo! This is a habitat all of its own. Dung beetles love to make cow pats their home or bury the poo under the ground in burrows.

• Do always keep dogs on a lead near livestock*
• Do keep a safe distance and never approach directly – just like us, they don’t like to be surprised
• Do enjoy watching from the path or behind the fence
• Don’t feed the animals, even if they come over hoping to share your packet of crisps
• Don’t let children run or chase livestock
• If you do find a cow coming towards you, stay calm – they can be very curious. Move steadily away, don’t run.

*New laws are now in place to help protect livestock from dog attacks – Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025

Read more about what we are doing and why to restore landscapes and habitats for the future at Essex Country Parks, funded as part of the government's Countryside Stewardship Scheme.