The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society urges visitors not to feed semi-wild ponies, warning that human food can make them ill and draw them to roads. Livestock protection officer Karla McKechnie says 25 ponies have been hit by vehicles this year; 18 died.
Equine vet Jess MacPhail said changes to a pony’s normal diet can cause painful, serious and potentially life-threatening problems. Even carrots can lead to colic, she said, while carrots and apples can pose a choking risk.
Dartmoor National Park says feeding the ponies is illegal. Police said persistent breaches of the by-law could prompt warnings, and continued feeding could lead to charges under the Animal Welfare Act for causing “unnecessary suffering”. In July, a man in Tavistock received a community protection warning barring him from feeding livestock and wild animals on Dartmoor.
