A herd of Water Buffalo have returned to Thorley Wash Nature Reserve for the third successive summer. Although an unusual sight to see in the Hertfordshire countryside, local wildlife charity, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust consider the animals to be the best livestock option to graze the 13-hectare wetland site. 

Thorley Wash Nature Reserve is nestled between the River Stort navigation and the Stort backwater, near to the village of Spellbrook, and to the south of Bishop’s Stortford. Formerly known as Thorley Flood Pound, Thorley Wash is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is a great example of a fen habitat and with 99% of fen habitat having been lost in the UK, it is a real rarity in Hertfordshire. 

Since the summer of 2023, the Water Buffalo have travelled from Sunnymead Farm in Essex to Thorley Wash to graze the ditches, waterlogged marshy areas and wet grassland on the reserve and improve biodiversity. The animals originate from Asia, where they are found in wet habitats such as riverbanks and marshlands, and often used domestically on rice paddies. As a species they are hardier and more tolerant of water-logged conditions than domestic cattle and better suited to the conditions at Thorley Wash. This means they spend more time grazing in the wetter areas on site and grazing in the ditches, they clear the dense and scrubbier vegetation to improve that habitat, which it is hoped will help species such as endangered Water Voles, which were successfully reintroduced to Thorley Wash in 2015.  In addition, Water Buffalo are less selective in their diet so they graze more of the coarser vegetation, which, over time, will enable finer wildflowers and grasses to flourish. If the Water Buffalo were not employed then it would require some heavy machinery such as diggers to keep the ditches clear. 

Kathryn Dunnett, Reserves Officer at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust said:

“Year-on-year, we’ve expanded the area that the Water Buffalo have grazed at Thorley Wash and we are really pleased with the effect they are having on the habitat.

“Although it’s still early days in conservation terms, within the compartments the Water Buffalo have been in, we are seeing the vegetation take on a much greener appearance – they are clearing the dead matter and the composition of the vegetation looks to be changing, with a bit less sedge and more grasses. Wildflowers such as Ragged Robin and Marsh Marigold appear to be more abundant and as indicator species that’s really encouraging. The aim is to improve diversity on the site – with greater diversity in plant species, we see a wider spread of insect species, and in turn that helps with pollination and feeding the birds that breed on the reserve, such as Sedge Warbler, Cettis Warbler, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff.”

Dan Townsend, Senior Reserves Officer at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust said:

“Our volunteers have been instrumental in enabling the Water Buffalo to graze at Thorley Wash. Working alongside our team, they’ve repaired the physical fence to get that in good order. This isn’t easy on a wetland site because the wet and dry cycle makes fence posts rot quicker. Volunteers have also assisted us in cutting vegetation on both sides of the physical fence so as not to interfere with the electrical fence, which we have subsequently installed around the perimeter of the compartment the animals will be in. Our volunteer livestock checkers will regularly check on the Water Buffalo and notify us of any concerns they have. We really couldn’t do this without the support we get from our fantastic volunteers.”

For more information about Thorley Wash Nature Reserve, including a virtual tour of the site, visit https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/thorley-wash