Illegal cows caught in Port Meadow round-up (From thisisoxfordshire)

Illegal cows caught in Port Meadow round-up

10:30am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News

IT sounds like something out of the Wild West: the sheriff rounding up cattle to find if anyone’s been illegally grazing.

But it happens every year on Oxford’s Port Meadow and Wolvercote Common.

This year unaccounted cows were found, meaning someone has been illicitly grazing their animals on the ancient meadow.

Wolvercote Common is used by the commoners of the village for grazing their animals, while neighbouring Port Meadow is for exclusive use by the Freemen of Oxford, an ancient right.

Animals using either should be tagged.

Jane Wilkinson, from Wolvercote, helped round up animals.

She said: “It was brilliant. This was my first time, but it was just a really good experience working together as a community.

“It is rare in the city to have a day like this.”

The team rounded up about 300 animals this year, around 30 of which were unaccounted for as they didn’t have a tag.