BBC Inside Out Feature On Eating Dartmoor Ponies

Foal on Dartmoor - photo copyright Faye Stacey

Today is really quite an extraordinary day...today I witnessed on television the moment the head of a UK registered charity for companion animals ate one of their own animals.  (For anyone who didn't see the programme and can't quite believe it...yes that really is typed correctly)...If you live in the UK, you can view the full story on BBC Inside Out on the following link:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04hv59b/inside-out-south-west-29092014

I just can't imagine we'd ever see the head of one of our best loved, registered, donkey, dog or cat charities eat a rescue they didn't have room for...and then persuade other people to do the same thing, rather than concentrating on stopping the root of the problem - the over breeding.  And on Dartmoor it should be easier because it's a restricted, enclosed area.

 I find it absolutely extraordinary the group of people featured think it is easier to convince us to eat ponies than it is for them to sit down and work together to remove the stallions from the moor and stop the breeding.   There has still not been any proper informed discussion or action about the main issue in hand to take control of the situation.

If you think about other species that actually are considered endangered - pandas, leopards, elephants, for instance, the animals are all looked after by organisations - registered charities and groups that are devoted to protecting that species for the value of the animal and it's place in the environment and not for any financial gain. When it comes down to it, perhaps that's what Dartmoor needs...when financial gain is involved the ethics go by the wayside.

 If meat is the way that these pony keepers decide to go, the pony that they supposedly treasure will be lost anyway - bigger, fatter and bred for maximum profit. This has nothing to do with keeping the interests of the ponies at the fore it's about lining certain farmers pockets.

...Can you believe a couple of weeks ago the Commoners' Council wrote to the pony keepers to tell them that the Commoners are allowed 5 stallions each out on the moors this year?  How must the 70% feel who were counted in the study as wanting all the stallions removed?

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