Dartmoor’s livestock protection officer is urging people to go dead slow on moorland roads in the winter gloom after two pony deaths earlier this month.

Karla McKechnie has been called to a dead pony on the road from Horrabridge to Crapstone on Thursday night, December 4 and at Two Bridges on Wednesday, December 3.

In the case of the Two Bridges collision, the driver drove off without reporting what had happened. This is a criminal offence.

“That was annoying because the pony was left for dead in the middle of the road. I find it really frustrating,” said Karla. “It is pretty unforgivable to hit a pony and not phone it in. I attended that with the police and had to pull the pony out of the way.

“I had another one on Thursday night, on the road at the turning past Horrabridge beside the Toll House, going out to Long Ash. That died of pretty horrendous injuries. The driver did call the police though.”

She urged drivers to take particular care on the moorland roads at this time of year, with the dark, rain and hill fog making it almost impossible to see clearly, particularly at night.

If you go over a cattle grid, she says, use that as a sign that there are free-roaming animals ahead on the commons.

She has also been out recently to a sheep mauled to death at Poundsgate, further south on the moor. “That was left for dead. I don’t understand the mentality of people. It is a criminal offence to leave the scene of an accident when you’ve hit an animal.”

Karla is on call to come out to any animal in distress on the moor 24 hours a day. Call 07873 587561. You can also call the police on 999 if an injured animal is in the road.