Goats GPS tracker scheme to be expanded

Northumbria Wildlife Trust has been trialling the technology for two years

A scheme tracking goats via GPS technology is expanding as part of efforts to prevent overgrazing.

A herd of 13 goats spending the summer at the Druridge Bay reserve in Northumberland will wear collars with GPS trackers that can alert them to stop at certain boundaries.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust said the collars help protect sensitive areas such as ground-nesting bird sites and ensure the goats are in the right area when they need to be moved.

The scheme, which has been trialled on cattle and goats for the last two years, is expanding to West Chevington where a free roaming herd of cattle will be introduced later this summer.

Staff can draw invisible GPS boundaries around grazing areas to control access and prevent overgrazing.

"The GPS collars allow staff and volunteers to monitor their movements from a distance, thereby allowing them to continue with the important job of grazing the reserve for the benefit of the flowers and grasses," said Alex Lister from the charity.