It’s Prince Charles’s fantastic beasts and where to f ind them

Royal collects rare breeds for ‘education farm’

FROM villages and organic gardening to watercolour painting, he is the member of the Royal Family best known for his diverse range of interests.

Now, for his latest pet project, Prince Charles has set out to save some of the country’s rarest breeds of farm animals.

The prince is building a unique ‘education farm’ at Dumfries House near Cumnock, Ayrshire – the stately home he saved for the nation ten years ago.

A range of rare and endangered creatures will be housed in an eye-catching wooden-clad building on the estate – including pigs, cows, sheep, ducks, chickens and turkeys.

One breed in particular has attracted the Prince’s attention – the ornamental Crollwitzer turkey.

Having seen the striking black and white birds at the Royal Norfolk Show last summer, he personally asked for them to be housed at his new farm.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust, of which Prince Charles is patron, scoured Scotland for a pair, but failed to find any. It is believed there are fewer than 200 of the birds in Britain.

Instead, a pair costing around £200 are being sourced from a

‘Mainly Scottish theme of breeds’

leading Crollwitzer breeder in Dorset and will be transported to Dumfries House in the spring, when the new building is fully open.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust – which aims to conserve and protect the UK’s rare native breeds of farm animals from extinction – recommended a list of endangered animals which could be housed at the Prince’s new farm.

Ruth Dalton, the trust’s field officer for Scotland, said: ‘The prince approved them all but he also came up with the suggestion of Crollwitzer turkeys.

‘Native turkeys have disappeared from farms. The Crollwitzers were part of a fashion for ornamental breeds in the Victoria era. But there are probably fewer than 200 in the country.

‘In fact, after the prince said he wanted some at Dumfries House, I could not find any in Scotland. The ones we will be getting may be the only ones north of the Border.

‘The plan is to breed them and eventually make them more widespread in Scotland.’

Miss Dalton added: ‘Dumfries House Estate is a working farm and this new facility offers a chance to show people how farming fashions have changed.

‘Without sounding sniffy, all the breeds have been chosen to be bred – it’s not a petting farm. It is an educational farm – that’s what the prince wanted. ‘Breeding groups of animals will be housed there. It was thought it would be especially appropriate to have a mainly Scottish theme of breeds. ‘The prince has been very involved. The public will be able to visit and it is a chance for children to get an understanding of where food really comes from.’ The building – the cost of which has not been disclosed – has been paid for by Jurgen Pierburg, a Swiss billionaire art collector and philanthropist, and his wife Clarissa. They were guests at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and have funded other educational facilities at Dumfries House. The central building of the new breeding farm, built by traditional skills apprentices, will bear the name of the Pierburgs’ son, Valentin.

The Pierburgs own a 30-room castle in Switzerland which, in the 1980s, was a magnet for wealthy art lovers. Mr Pierburg has also become a regular in London’s high society circles.

Around 50 animals will be attached to the project.

‘A lot of the breeds are in danger of being lost and the prince has strong views on keeping them going,’ said Gordon Neil, development and facilities manager at the Dumfries House Trust.

‘It’s part of our education programme to tell children that not all farm animals are just readily available.’