Campaigners fear for future of Dartmoor ponies

Campaigners have called for more action to preserve numbers of Dartmoor Hill ponies

Campaigners have called for more protections for Dartmoor ponies amid fears the species could be driven to extinction.

Dartmoor Hill Pony Association (DHPA) said the breed was considered genetically rare as they had adapted to the conditions on the moorland - differing from those that become domesticated pets.

The association said more action was needed to recognise the importance of the country's only semi-wild pony population.

Natural England said it was working to ensure "optimal numbers of Dartmoor ponies remain for generations to come".

Natural England said it was working to ensure "optimal numbers of Dartmoor ponies"

The DHPA said numbers of Dartmoor Hill ponies were estimated to have dropped from from 7,000 to 900 over the past 25 years.

The previous Conservative government endorsed a land management overhaul on Dartmoor.

But the DHPA said new supplements which would pay farmers and landowners to look after the ponies and give them the same status as cattle had not yet been implemented.

'Gone forever'

Secretary Joss Hibbs said the group needed to "press now for action so the numbers do not drop any more".

"The ones you see on Dartmoor are the only ones there are," she said.

"Once they've gone they are gone forever - you can't get them back."

She said Natural England would not "guarantee their number on Dartmoor".

"Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] has done an amazing amount of work on the ground with us," she said.

"Let's not muck it up at the last hurdle."

'Vital role'

Simon Lee, Natural England's principal officer for Dartmoor, said the agency "fully supports the findings of the Dartmoor review".

He said the review "highlighted the importance of ponies as part of a plan to recover nature on Dartmoor".

"Habitats on Dartmoor remain in a poor state and ponies have a vital role in their recovery," he said.

"We are working hard with partners, including the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, to ensure the optimal numbers of Dartmoor ponies remain for generations to come."