Shiny happy ponies.
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2015 3:10 am
Reflective paint is set to be put on Dartmoor's livestock in a bid to cut the number of animals being killed by vehicles.
The idea has from a project in Finland where reindeer antlers were painted.
Blue paint has been placed on privately-owned ponies to see how durable it is, with reflective beads to be added to the paint later.
The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society (DLPS) scheme has been backed by the national park authority.
The paint will shine "really bright" when headlights are shone on it, project organisers said.
Karla McKechnie, livestock protection officer for DLPS, said about 60 animals had been killed on the roads across the moor so far this year, an increase on previous years.
She took the Finnish idea to a south-west manufacturer, from where she got complementary tins of paint to test its durability on the animals' coats.
She said two ponies have been painted and the reflective beads could be put on animals on the moor within months.
Bosses plan to paint the livestock along their sides and above their bottoms and tails, "really to get as much on as possible", she said.
Ms McKechnie added it was "early days, but the trial was going well".
The charity, which plans to fund the project, although the exact cost is yet to be calculated, helps ponies, sheep and cattle on the moors.
Rob Steemson, Dartmoor National Park's head ranger, said the authority "fully supports the project to reduce the number of road deaths" and urged motorists to drive responsibly.
