The New Forest National Parks very important mix of habitats plays host to a number of fantastic varieties of British wildlife. The three main habitats that the wildlife can call home are open heathland, woodlands and wetlands all of which have been affected by man over many centuries. Thankfully since 1079 the wildlife has been largely protected when it was designated a royal hunting ground by King William I.
Perhaps the most famous animal to inhabit the New Forest is the New Forest Pony who has played a big part in the Forests history. Strictly speaking though the New Forest Ponies aren't wild, they are all privately owned yet are allowed to roam free across the open forest. The ponies we see today though are descendants of wild ponies who used to roam right across the British countryside. Hundreds of years ago these animals were domesticated and have been interbred with other horse breeds. A local myth believes that New Forest ponies are descended from Spanish Horses that survived the numerous shipwrecks during the time of the Spanish Armada. Sika Deer Hunting Tips
The owners of the ponies are known as commoners and all have the right to graze their animals on open forest land, a right that has existed since William the Conqueror. The ponies are looked out for by the owners and the Agisters who are employees of the New Forest Verderes. Each year during late summer all the ponies are rounded up and accounted for, they are then auctioned allowing commoners to buy and sell if they so wish.
Another animal which is synonymous with the New Forest is the deer, the animal responsible for the forest being designated a Royal Hunting Ground back in 1079. With in the forest there are five different species of deer, though of the five only two are British natives. British deer found in the forest are the red deer and the roe deer. The other three species are the fallow deer, sika deer and muntjac deer. The sika and muntjac are very rarely seen in the forest and are only located in a few small pockets making spotting them quite difficult.
The red deer of the forest are also quite allusive with just around 100 animals. The famous British deer are thought to be the largest deer in the UK and are most commonly found amongst the highlands of Scotland and Southern England. Even id you don't manage to spot a red deer keep your ears open as you might be able to hear their distinctive loud bellow.
The most common deer in the New Forest is the fallow deer which can be easily identified by its 'Bambi' markings during the summer months. Although the fallow deer are shy there are enough of them throughout the forest to make spotting them quite likely on a typical forest walk. Sika Deer Hunting Tips