this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2024
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UK Nature and Environment

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Backpack-wearing dogs are being enlisted to “act like wolves” to help rewild an urban nature reserve in the East Sussex town of Lewes.

Before wolves were persecuted to extinction in the UK in about 1760, they were known to roam large areas, typically covering 12 miles (20km) or more each night.

In doing so, wolves would inadvertently pick up wildflower and grass seeds in their fur, dispersing them many miles away and helping establish new colonies of plants, which is vital for biodiversity and for ecosystems to thrive.

The project by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust in Lewes, funded by Ouse Valley Climate Action, aims to recreate this ecological benefit by equipping local dogs with seed-filled backpacks to help reseed the landscape. The project is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

Do we get to make the argument that if they’re not worn on their backs, then they’re not backpacks? Chest-packs maybe?