Dutch Help Restore Wildlife in Latvia

The Netherlands has announced that it will be donating more than two dozen horses and cattle to Latvia to help the country preserve its open lands, according to latest reports.

A total of 23 Konik horses and two wild cows will be introduced later this month to Latvia's Kemeri National Park where the land is being turned into forest, reports Reuters.

It is thought that the grazing and roaming of the animals, which have been donated by the Dutch forestry service, will help maintain open vegetation and countryside, according to the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF).

"After the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the restored independence of the Baltic countries, huge areas of agricultural land were abandoned," the LHF said in a statement.

In 2003 and 2004, with the help of other conservation groups, the LHF took bison, wild cows and Konik horses to another Latvian nature reserve.

The LHF is now involved in over 30 projects in Europe, Russia, Mongolia and central Asia to protect 45 species and restore their original habitats.

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Updated: Thu, 11 May 2006 00:00:00

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