Dutch donate animals to Latvia to restore wildlife

[Judi Lynn]

Dutch donate animals to Latvia to restore wildlife
May 10, 2006 — AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands is donating more than two dozen horses and cattle, close relatives of now extinct species, to Latvia to help the Baltic country preserve its open lands, conservationists said on Wednesday.

The 23 Konik horses and 2 wild cows will be introduced later this month in Latvia's Kemeri National Park, where plant and animal species are threatened because abandoned land is turning into closed forest, the Dutch-based conservation organization the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF) said.

The grazing and roaming of the animals, donated by the Dutch state forestry service, will help maintain open vegetation and country, important for the survival of other species, the group said.

"After the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the restored independence of the Baltic countries, huge areas of agricultural land were abandoned," an LHF statement said.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1945435

[jojo54]

1. Thank goodnesss they didn't donate them to

Proctor and Gamble!!!!

[Igel]

2. Aurochs.

Not aurox.

And 'konik' just means 'little horse' or 'little steed'.

[WhiteTara]

3. kick

thanks for this news!
:kick: