The arrival ten years ago of the Manx Loaghtan sheep has been a big success story for the National Trust for Jersey
JERSEY’S north coast has long been acknowledged as a place of beauty and romance by Islanders – and it seems that even sheep are susceptible to its rugged charms.
Jersey’s conservation flock of rare Manx Loaghtan sheep has increased almost ten fold since they were first introduced to an area of land in St Mary and St John by the National Trust for Jersey in 2009.
- A small primitive sheep which is on the watch list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust
- The breed originates from the prehistoric short-tailed breeds of sheep found in isolated parts of north-west Europe where they survived because they were not replaced by more developed breeds
- Loaghtans and their relatives grazed the hills of the Isle of Man until the 18th century, but by the 1950s their numbers had declined to a handful. Enthusiasts have helped to increase their numbers in recent years
Find out more about this breed of sheep here
When the flock – which is thought to be the closest living relative of the now extinct Jersey sheep – was first established there were just 20 breeding ewes and two rams.
But it is now almost 200 sheep strong – the equivalent to around ten per cent of the total population on mainland Britain, providing an important gene pool for the rare breed.
And the Trust says that since their introduction, they have been invaluable in reducing ecological damage along the coast.
The sheep have also helped the newly reinstated red-billed chough to flourish by grazing the land and creating an ideal environment for the birds to hunt their invertebrate prey.
The Trust introduced the sheep as part of a project to rejuvenate the headland, which had become overgrown with bracken and brambles after grazing on the land stopped in the early 20th century.
The trampling by the sheep helps to reduce the cover of bracken while the grazing controls the growth of competitive plant species.
Jonny Parkes, lands manager of the National Trust for Jersey, said: ‘The increase in the size of the flock is fantastic news, because it will enable this highly effective and sustainable management technique to be more widely applied, facilitating the restoration of Jersey’s coastal headland habitat for the benefit of our native wildlife.
‘This year alone we have been treated to wonderful drifts of foxglove, splashes of heather and the very first Jersey chough born at Sorel. If anyone had any doubts about the benefits of conservation grazing, I think the results speak for themselves.’
