Native
Dartmoor ponies are now rarer than giant pandas, according to figures
released by a new charity.
The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust estimates there are only 500 truly
indigenous ponies, compared with about 1,600 giant pandas in China.
The
ponies are now outnumbered on the moor by Shetlands and cross-breeds
which attract higher prices.
Elizabeth
Newbolt-Young said: "The problem is there are not a lot of
economic reasons to keep these ponies."
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| As
few as 500 truly indigenous Dartmoor ponies remain. |
Mrs
Newbolt-Young one of the founders of the new group said: "If
we hadn't done something about it they would have died out altogether."
She
said one of her neighbours on Dartmoor used to have 150-200 of the
indigenous ponies, but now has only 20.
The
Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust hopes to raise awareness of the indigenous
ponies' plight and encourage parents to buy them for children to
ride.
Mrs
Newbolt-Young, who runs Shilstone Rocks Stud at Widecombe-in-the-Moor,
said the comparison with giant panda numbers "brought it home".
"People
recognise the giant panda for what it is, but probably nobody has
heard of a proper Dartmoor pony running on the moor."
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A
pony and foal on Dartmoor.
Photo Steven Winter |
Forty
years ago the total number of ponies on Dartmoor stood at 30,000
but the figure could now be as low as 1,500.
The
decline has been caused by plummeting demand for the animals. The
demise of the mining industry saw an end to the sale of ponies for
work at coal pits.
In
recent years healthy Dartmoor ponies have been culled because buyers
could not be found for them at Devon's annual pony auctions.
Pedigree
Dartmoor ponies, which were originally bred from the indigenous
animals that run free on the moor, are sold all over the world but
do not run free on the moor.
Article
first published: 26th March 2005
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