Ramblers will be able to walk among long-horn cattle, Iron Age pigs and Exmoor ponies roaming freely through a beauty spot.

Kent Wildlife Trust has already brought a herd of European bison to a fenced-off enclosure in West Blean and Thornden Woods, between Canterbury and Herne Bay, for the first time in thousands of years.

And it has now been revealed the giant creatures have been joined in the woodland by six Exmoor ponies, four Iron Age pigs and four long-horn cattle.

Trust bosses say the animals have been chosen to help re-shape the area in a bid to combat the climate crisis.

Area manager Alison Ruyter said: “This type of grazing is about using native wild breeds of livestock to mimic the things that mega-herbivores would have done in the past when wild horses, Aurochs and bison roamed around the country.

"They were inextricably linked with their habitats and we want to mimic that using the animals available to us now.

"The long-horns have been chosen for their ability to graze woody twigs trees and scrub, opening up the canopy.

"The ponies target soft heavy vegetation creating space for different species in grassy and scrubby areas, while the pigs will complement this by rooting around with their snouts, disturbing the soil and causing seeds to grow."

Three ponies and the four long-horn cattle are roaming freely in one part of the woodland, while the bison and three other horses will be within an enclosed area.

The four pigs will be able to move between the two areas through flaps or by digging underground tunnels.

Visitors to the area will be able to come across the newly introduced creatures on footpaths running through the woodland.

However, the bison will remain fenced off from the public due to legal requirements.

This forms the latest of the £1.1 million Wilder Blean conservation project.

Mark Habben, who is working on the scheme, added: "Now the bison are settled, it’s great to see them being joined by all the other species roaming through the forest doing their important work.

"It’s a really exciting stage for this innovative project.

"There’ll be lots of research and observations in the coming years and we’ll look at how their behaviours compare and the impact they have on the environment.

"After the challenges of getting this project off the ground, we’re now at the point of really enjoying what is here and taking pleasure in what’s going on around us."