Rare horse breed proves crucial to delicate ecosystem

A rare breed of Equus caballus i time at the centre of Nazi experiments has been recognized every bit a key business office of plans to restore frail wetlands.

It is forthwith acknowledged that the grazing habits of the rare Konik breed – the advert important pocket-size Equus caballus inwards Polish – play a crucial business office inwards helping to brand wetlands to a greater extent than habitable for other species.

They are a highly odd breed, descended straight from the Tarpan, the wild European wood Equus caballus hunted to extinction inwards Great Britain inwards Neolithic times.

Tarpan survived inwards cardinal Europe until the belatedly 1800s when the lastly were captured inwards the primeval wood of Bialoweiza, Poland, as well as taken to zoos. The lastly died inwards 1910.

The Konik breed demand maintain a floor which is nearly every bit harrowing every bit the Tarpan.

In the early on 20th century, Polish scientists noticed Tarpan-coloured foals – mouse grayness overall with zebra stripes on their legs as well as nighttime manes as well as tails – were all the same beingness born to domestic mares inwards herds where Tarpan had formerly ranged.

It was also noticed that they turned whiter over wintertime – some other Tarpan trait.

They selected these as well as back-bred them successfully over generations to recreate the extinct wood horse.

Between the 2 basis wars, High German zoo directors were supported yesteryear senior Nazi political party officials such every bit Herman Goering inwards their attempt to recreate these primeval horses. The Tarpan featured heavily inwards High German folklore as well as their recreation through racially selective dorsum breeding supported the Nazis eugenic race theories.

A Konik mare as well as foal. © Les Willis

After the Nazi invasion of Poland, whole herds were stolen as well as transported dorsum to Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany where matters took a darker turn, the horses becoming business office of genetic experiments trying to back-breed a High German Tarpan. The horses were sadly eaten yesteryear the starving population of Berlin as well as Munich when the Russians invaded inwards the concluding days of the war.

Polish scientists looking afterward wild Equus caballus herds managed to protect some, as well as afterward the state of war the protected herds were allowed to repopulate the national parks of Poland nether Soviet occupation.

When the Iron Curtain fell, conservationists were at lastly able to carry the wild horses to national parks across Europe.

Wildwood Trust pioneered the re-introduction of these horses to Great Britain inwards 2002. It brought the get-go ever of their breed to larn inwards in southern England as well as these horses as well as their offspring demand maintain been helping to restore some of the most precious national nature reserves inwards the UK.

Since this time, conservation grazing projects throughout Europe demand maintain used the Konik horses for wetland grazing projects. The onetime habitat of Tarpan was marshy woodland where their grazing activities assist exercise ideal living atmospheric condition for a host of associated wild animals such every bit rare geese, spoonbills, bitterns as well as corncrakes.

The projection to restore them to Kentish wetlands is a articulation enterprise betwixt the Wildwood Trust, close Canterbury, English linguistic communication Nature as well as Kent Wildlife Trust.

At present, most of the trust’s herd are grazing at nature reserves closed to the county. Wildwood Trust runs Woodland Discovery Park, a visitor attraction which forms business office of their strategy to salvage native as well as once-native wild animals from extinction.

Its plans involve releasing large wild herbivores as well as developing conservation grazing systems to restore natural ecological processes to assist Great Britain squad with wild animals again.

Wildwood includes a wood enclosure where Konik horses retired from the trust’s main herds tin pass their days, providing the many visitors with a proficient await at the remarkable breed.

 

 

 

© Les Willis Back from the brink The Tarpan may demand maintain been officially extinct yesteryear 1910, simply the tarpan-like characteristics of some horses inwards their onetime dwelling hit had non escaped attention. In the lead-up to World War 2, 2 people inwards item took a particular involvement inwards the tarpan-like domestic ponies called Bilgoraj Konik, which were used yesteryear remote shine peasants. The peasants where every bit good pitiable to feed the horses through wintertime as well as so would permit them roam wild as well as recapture them for agricultural function the adjacent spring. Two men forthwith tried to “re-breed” the Bilgoraj Konik – i Polish as well as i German. The Pole was Tadeusz Vetulani, of Poznan University, who began selecting Koniks for a tarpan re-breeding projection inwards the Bialowieza Forest. Two of his Koniks, a manful individual as well as female, had the vogue to plough whitish inwards winter, ever retaining the nighttime points. The projection was successful as well as some other herd was established inwards the Popielno Forest. Attempts were made to regenerate the European bison, also, at this time. The other individual interested inwards re-breeding the tarpan was Lutz Heck, the managing director of Berlin Zoo as well as an ardent Nazi. He as well as his blood brother Heinz, a managing director of Munich Zoo, both started tarpan re-breeding projects using a diversity of horses. The brothers, both interested inwards High German wood as well as hunting culture, established independent breeding groups. Both claimed success inwards re-breeding tarpans. Heck was to ascent through the ranks of the Nazis as well as held an of import seat inwards the ministry building responsible for nature as well as forests. When Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany overran Poland during World War 2, shine Koniks were taken dorsum to Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany for a serial of genetic experiments aimed at recreating a High German Tarpan. Lutz Heck personally commanded as well as supervised a Nazi squad that stole a issue of herds of the pocket-size primitive horses from the Bialowieza National Park for their genetic experiments. He developed his re-breeding experiments with the enthusiastic back upwardly of senior Nazis, principal with whom was the Reichmarshal, Herman Goering.

 

Visit www.wildwoodtrust.org

Horsetalk expresses its thank you lot to Wildwood Trust for information almost the Konik as well as Tarpan breeds. First published July 18, 2007.

 

 

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