Letter: Cattle Can Cause Problems at Nature Reserve

Published on: 11 Nov, 2022
Updated on: 11 Nov, 2022

Riverside Park Photo Wikipedia

From: Frank Phillipson

Cattle have been returned to Riverside Park now that the entrance gates have been redesigned and installed. As a result, there are now a very large number of cow pats in many areas including paths.

One lady with a hand propelled rear wheeled wheelchair, now has to endanger her health being unable to avoid every area of excrement. The situation is also very unpleasant for all other users of the “park” whether they are walkers, runners, cyclists or the disabled. It also makes a mockery of providing seating and benches.

Another aspect of the cows returning is that they block pathways with one person, on a mobility scooter, twice being frighteningly surrounded by cattle and on one occasion nearly tipped over.

In addition, cattle can pose a significant risk to people on foot as they can be inquisitive and if panicked may rush along narrow pathways where there is no scope to escape resulting in persons being trampled. There have been a number of recent incidents where people crossing fields on public footpaths have been killed in this way.

Guildford Borough Council has designated Riverside Park as a “Suitable Accessible Natural Green Space” (SANGS) “to provide accessible natural green spaces” for the public to enjoy and exercise in, whilst also providing a haven for wildlife.

If Surrey Wildlife Trust can carry out conservation grazing with the animals contained by electric fencing on Whitmoor Common why can’t this be used in Riverside Park to restrict cattle to the ample areas of grassland away from pathways?