00:00A typically quiet nature reserve in the Kent countryside has recently found itself in the
00:05spotlight.
00:06It's because of a recent TikTok video that went viral, showing the visitor petting one
00:10of the highland cows.
00:11Since then, the site has seen hundreds of people hoping to do the same thing, but Kent
00:16Wildlife are urging people to rethink.
00:19Part of that video was her approaching the cows quite closely and at one instance sort
00:25of going to sort of pet them and that isn't something that we advise, it's not part of
00:31our guidance around working with our livestock here.
00:33It is a public site, a lot of people use the site, but that TikTok went viral and so we've
00:39seen a massive influx of people onto the site, especially at the weekends.
00:44Lots of families, lots of couples, lots of people coming to enjoy the highland cows and
00:50take photos with them, so it all took off really because we obviously saw this video and we
00:58have also needed to sort of address how you interact with these animals on site safely.
01:03If you're coming to the heathland to see the highland cows, this is as far as you should
01:07be to get a picture.
01:08Otherwise the animals can't get quite distressed and it can have negative impacts on their grazing.
01:13Disturbance is a massive issue, obviously it's great that people come down to experience
01:18it, but when we get people coming off the pathways we're potentially stressing not just our animals
01:25but also the wildlife additionally present on the site.
01:30The cows, if they keep getting pressure, will try and leave as best they can, but when you've
01:37got 500 people across an area of heath like this, there's not always places for them to hunker
01:44or hide.
01:45While the viral video has brought many people to the reserve, one farmer's
01:48family said a different post online encouraged them to keep their distance, showing the
01:53impact social media can have.
01:55We saw videos, was it Facebook or TikTok?
01:58Yeah, and Vicky loves Highland cows.
02:01So we thought we'd come down, yeah.
02:04And what did you think about the TikTok when she started stroking the cow and everything?
02:08Oh we didn't see that one, yeah so we didn't actually see that one, but we saw a post after
02:12that was just warning people not to get too close, which obviously
02:16is quite sensible.
02:17Yeah, stay away, don't touch them.
02:20Why do you think you wouldn't touch them?
02:22Well they're wild animals, not to interrupt them and obviously they can be dangerous as
02:26well.
02:26The trust says that you shouldn't pet or feed the animals, including the ponies that are
02:30also on site, because it can contaminate biodiversity in the area and cause an over-dependence on humans.
02:37While Kent Wildlife are pleased about the interest in the animals and the site, they hope that
02:42getting up close is a fleeting trend with no lasting beef.
02:46Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV, Ashford
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