Ponies help conserve countryside

The ponies were bred in Devon

Dartmoor ponies are helping conserve and restore heath and fens in Norfolk by grazing the land.

The 20 ponies have joined the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) habitat management programme to improve, restore and manage fen, heathland and grassland.

The additions means there are now 63 of the endangered ponies in the herd.

Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT), which aims to keep the ponies all one colour instead of two or more, sourced the ponies aged one to seven-years-old.

Endangered species

The funding for the ponies, sourced from five different breeders in Devon, came from Natural England's Countdown 2010 and Biffaward.

The indigenous Dartmoor pony is now officially recognised as an endangered species.

NWT grazing officer Mel Slote said: "This is another great opportunity for us to protect Norfolk's biodiversity and help secure the future of a vulnerable native pony.

"It is important to maintain the ponies' wildness, because if they become too tame they can become overly-friendly to the public on our nature reserves rather than carry out important conservation grazing.

"If you see the ponies on any of the sites, please enjoy watching them from a distance."