Slagelse reports planned cuts to fence around grazing animals

Slagelse Municipality has reported vandalism to the fence enclosing cattle and horses at Storebælts Klint, a coastal nature area, after the fence was cut twice in a month. The municipality believes the latest damage was planned, DR reports.

The electric fence was cut in three places, and a metal chain was also severed. The municipality has reported the damage to police.

About 70 cows and 20 Exmoor horses graze at the 220-hectare site beside the Great Belt. The horses, first released there in May, share the land with Galloway cattle. The animals are intended to remain outdoors all year as part of the municipality’s effort to restore nature on former farmland.

“We are aware of the feelings this can provoke,” said Chris Balle Nørregaard, head of municipal properties in Slagelse Municipality. He said the animals are fed if there is not enough food, checked regularly by a veterinarian and monitored daily.

Debate over animals grazing in nature has intensified following concerns about thin horses at Molslaboratoriet. The Hempel Foundation recently took over the facility and said the horses there would be fed in future.

Biology professor Jens-Christian Svenning of Aarhus University said large animals help prevent tall grasses, trees and bushes from dominating, leaving room for herbs and insects associated with more open vegetation. In his view, the horses and cows at Storebælts Klint have some of the best living conditions for such animals in Denmark.

Nørregaard said the municipality would keep a closer watch on the fence. A motorway and railway line are nearby, he said, raising concern that animals or people could be injured if someone cuts through the enclosure.