Grazing cows join animals helping to preserve Culloden battlefield

A herd of cows is being used to preserve and maintain the moorland at Culloden battlefield.

The five animals join 12 Shetland cattle, six goats and two Highland ponies who all take part in conservation grazing on the battlefield site near Inverness.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said the animals play a crucial role in maintaining the landscape so the battlefield can remain as it would have looked in 1746.

Culloden was the site of the last battle of the final 1745 Jacobite Rising. On April 16, 1746 the army of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) was defeated by a British government force under William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.

NTS said: “The trust relies on the herd to provide continuous work on the moorland to protect the archaeology of the land and the natural flora and fauna.

“The appeal of cattle at Culloden is truly global. In particular generous supporters in the US have been to donate and name new additions to the herd.

“Some of the new cows and calves give a little nod to Culloden’s past, with Flora and Lady Anne named after strong Jacobite women who assisted the Bonnie Prince during and in the wake of the 1745 Rising.

“Others have more quirky names, including our stellar new calf, Rocket.”

The four new Highland cows arrived in May while Rocket, a Shetland cow, arrived in March.