麻豆社

At the Welsh Wildlife Centre they have devised a cunning way of managing their wetlands. Asian water buffalo are great grazers and their hungry mouths keep the scrub away, preserving the area as fenland and swamp. Chris Lawrence came up with the idea and tells Chris Packham about it. Why water buffalo? Conservation grazing usually looks first at what is available in the area, and they were lucky in having a water buffalo farm nearby. What better animal for grazing a wetland? Their temperament is very friendly, passive and easy to manage which is vital on a site which the public visit. They've become favourites with the public, who ask where they are at the beginning of the season. There are some good viewpoints to see them dotted around the site. With their fine horns and bulky size they are not something you are used to seeing every day, so they are quite a draw. They've been domesticated for hundreds of years, so are very calm and placid. They've also got a very good memory and recognise wardens that they haven't seen for months.