Dogs encouraged to 'act like wolves' in an effort to help local wildlife in Sussex

  • WATCH: Dogs are being given backpacks in Lewes to help rewild the land, as ITV Meridian's Sally Simmonds has been finding out.

Dogs in a Sussex town are being encouraged to 'act like wolves' in an effort to help the local wildlife.

Wolves carry seeds and wildflowers in their fur which drop off as they roam - helping to establish new plant colonies.

Dogs in Lewes are now being given the chance to do the same by wearing specially designed backpacks full of seeds.

The project, at the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, is a first of its kind for the UK.

Wolves disappeared in the UK in the 18th century Credit: Railway Land Wildlife Trust

Before wolves were persecuted to extinction in the UK around 1760, they roamed large areas, typically covering 20km or more each night.

As they did so they carried wildflower and grass seeds in their fur, often depositing them many miles away.

As the dogs walk through carefully selected areas of the nature reserve, the holes in the packs allow seeds to be deposited randomly.

Because the dogs cover more ground than people and visit areas that are hard to reach, the wildflower seeds are spread more widely across the landscape and germination is likely to be more effective.

  • WATCH: Dylan Walker from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust is managing the project

Project Manager Dylan Walker said: “This has been such a joyous experience. Local dog walkers have been so helpful and positive about the project.

"They’ve helped to protect and enhance our nature reserve. Dog walkers often get bad press when walking in the countryside so we’re so pleased to tell a story in which dogs and their owners are the stars!”

Dog owner Cressida Murray said: “I signed up for the project because it sounded like such a good fit.

"I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate Cocker Spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago.

"It’s such a great project to involve our local community and I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it.”

The project has been funded by Ouse Valley Climate Action and trialled on a small area of degraded woodland which previously had no ground vegetation.

Following the success of the trial, it is hoped that it can be rolled out more widely next year.

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