- Dartmoor ponies will be protected from culling after the government removed them from a livestock counting method that could have led to their extinction.
- Natural England had initially included the iconic semi-wild animals within its stocking density calculations, which aimed to reduce grazing on Dartmoor’s commons.
- Environment secretary Emma Reynolds announced the exclusion of ponies from the count and introduced a new payment to incentivise farmers to keep them.
- The decision follows warnings from farmers and campaigners that Natural England’s conservation measures could lead to the devastation of the endangered breed.
- Campaigners noted that Dartmoor hill ponies, present for 4,500 years, have seen their numbers dwindle from 6,000 to fewer than 1,000 in 25 years.
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