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| Home : Breckland Mammals | ||||
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BRECKLAND MAMMALS |
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| Breckland supports a wide range of mammal species, some of
which have helped to shape the landscape through their interactions with man,
while the presence of more recent introductions may shape the future landscape
of the region. It is the historical association of the Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus with Breckland that has had an impact on the landscape and which has helped benefit other species like the Stone Curlew and numerous invertebrates. This association is reflected in Breckland place names, many of which include the word 'warren': Thetford Warren, Sturston Warren, Santon Warren and Warren Wood. Clarke (1925) devotes a chapter of his book on Breckland to the 'rabbit farms' and notes references to Breckland rabbits extending back to the Paston letters of 1490 and the Household Book of Thomas Kytson (1573). It is now difficult to take in just how important these farms were and the numbers of rabbits that they supported, although the following passage taken from Clarke, in which he writes about crossing a warren, may give some indication. 'To ramble in such a spot is a pursuit fraught with some amount of uncertainty, possibly danger, as many will testify. For there are the obvious rabbit burrows and there are hundreds not obvious, not now used, and with their mouths blocked with brown sand... So that at times hardly a yard is passed without a hurried and undignified descent into the depths, sometimes up to the waist'. In addition the economic value of the Rabbit can be seen reflected in the punishments handed out to Rabbit poachers. For example, in 1813 Robert Plum and Rush Lingwood were convicted of taking a rabbit from the Hockwold warren of Thomas Robertson. For this crime Plum was transported for seven years, while Lingwood was imprisoned for two. Through the afforestation of much of Breckland and the agricultural improvement other areas, the Rabbit is no longer as abundant, nor important, as it once was. The establishment of plantation forest has created new expanses of habitat for deer and Breckland supports an impressive number of the species occurring within Britain as a whole. Red Deer Cervus elaphus and Roe Capreolus capreolus are found throughout the forest, while Fallow Deer Dama dama have a more localized distribution. Introduced Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes inermis occur within Breckland but they are secretive, localized and not often seen. Another recently introduced species, Reeves' Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi are much more in evidence, and are the deer species most likely to be encountered within the forest. On summer evenings Muntjac can be easily seen when driving along any of the main roads through the forest. |
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Last updated: 09 February 2003 14:08 |
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