Dartmoor ponies to go on the pill

World Horse Welfare vets given go-ahead to use contraceptive injection on mares after Devon population explosion

Dartmoor ponies have been overbreeding, with a high numbers of the animals ending up in horse sanctuaries or being slaughtered and the meat sold overseas as their market value has plummeted. Photograph: Alamy

A pioneering project to put Dartmoor's wild ponies on the pill is to begin in Devon later this year.

Concerns has been growing for several years about overbreeding among the semi-feral animals, high numbers of which have ended up in horse sanctuaries or slaughtered and the meat sold overseas as their market value has plummeted.

The recession has further affected sales of the ponies, with less people prepared to take on and train up a half-wild animal, despite their temperaments and intelligence making them ideal as children's riding ponies.

Now vets working for World Horse Welfare have been given the go-ahead to bring in injection from Australia to control the numbers of foals being born on the moor.

WHW veterinary consultant Keith Meldrum has been working closely with the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association (DHPA) and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer on proposed plans to provide a group of 20 mares with a contraceptive injection.

"A project of this kind has never been carried out before in the UK and I am delighted to be a part of it," he said. "We are hoping that, if successful, this could become a long-term solution to the issue of overbreeding within Britain's semi-feral horse and pony populations."

Meldrum said the treatment was not as invasive as sterilising the mares.

"We feel that this method of control is advantageous as the mares can come back into foal after the treatment; its simply means there is simply a reduction in foal production for the duration of the project. We are close to starting the initial injections now that we have the [drug] in our possession and after the Veterinary Medicines Directorate gave us the go ahead for batches to be imported from Australia into the UK."

There are thought to be less than 1,000 of the ponies left on the moor, down from an estimated 25,000 in the 1930s. In late spring a team led by Meldrum plan to round up ponies into a holding area where they will be micro-chipped and marked in a way in which they are identifiable at a distance. They will then be given an injection, and four weeks later given a second dose.

After a six-month period the mares will be blood-tested to see if their oestrus levels have been suppressed owing to the injection. If the mares respond positively after the initial six months, then they will receive a further does which will last until spring 2013.

The secretary of the DHPA, Charlotte Faulkner said: 'The adult pony numbers on the moor need to be maintained at its present number for the benefit of Dartmoor, but the number of foals need to be reduced as there is no market for them at the moment.

"Controlling the production of unwanted foals will ensure the ponies' welfare. We are optimistic that this project will help us to ensure the future of ponies on Dartmoor, grazing to keep it as we know and love it for generations to come, creating the habitat for its wonderful birds, plants and animals to be conserved."

The project is being sponsored by Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony.

• Tracy McVeigh
• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 3 March 2012 17.08 GMT
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/03/dartmoor-ponies-contraceptive-jab-devon

Bumper breeding season for butcher bird

On 24-hour watch to protect from egg collectors

September 2011: Red-backed shrikes, once extinct in the UK, bred again on Dartmoor this summer, the second successive year of breeding in Devon.

Once again, a partnership project set up a 24-hour watch to guard these rare birds against egg collectors and disturbance. This year the partnership found itself keeping close watch over two pairs that between them fledged seven youngsters, an amazing result.

The birds were protected by a team of RSPB staff and volunteers from Dartmoor Study Group, Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society and RSPB who spent thousands of hours guarding the birds day and night in all weathers. The protection scheme also involved the Forestry Commission, Natural England, Devon and Cornwall Police and Dartmoor National Park Authority.

We are making sure there's enough suitable habitatKevin Rylands, RSPB farmland conservation adviser, said: ‘We hope this repeat breeding in 2011 and the number of birds indicates a possible recolonisation of red-backed shrikes in this country.

However, it is early days and, knowing that this bird is the target of egg collectors, we are already planning for 2012 to ensure that any nesting attempts next year are also fully protected as well as making sure there is enough suitable habitat for them.

‘It is unfortunate though necessary that we have to spend so much time and money simply to prevent egg collectors endangering the future of this rare bird.'

Ben Philipps, Forestry Commission Area Forester said "It's great news and it demonstrates how plantation woodland can provide diverse habitats for a number of species. Today's forest management ensures that these habitats are taken into account and nurtured and we are delighted to have been part of the team protecting these fascinating birds."

This makes all the hours of being eaten by midges worthwhileColin Marker, one of the dedicated volunteers, said: ‘Having a successful outcome makes all the hours of watching and patrolling and being eaten alive by midges worthwhile. It has been a pleasure working with the various partners from whom I have learnt a great deal about the birds, and I was really thrilled by the result.'

Red-backed shrikes are called ‘butcher birds' after their habit of impaling some of their prey on thorns and wire fences to eat later. Smaller than starlings, they are adept hunters, catching insects such as bees and moths in flight and dropping from perches onto caterpillars, ground beetles and grasshoppers, and even taking lizards, mice and voles.

These migrant birds winter in east Africa, moving north to breed in Europe. Once found across many parts of southern England in habitat such as hay meadows, hedges, scrub and heath, the UK population declined in the 1930s, it last bred on Dartmoor in 1970 and was finally lost as a breeder in this country in the 1990s. Egg collecting, illegal since the 1950s, accelerated that decline and is still a real threat to the birds that bred on Dartmoor in 2010 and 2011.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/devon-shrike.html

Shrike 'could recolonise' UK after Dartmoor breeding

A rare bird that has bred for the second year on Dartmoor could start to recolonise the UK, conservationists have said.

Last year red-backed shrikes bred for the first time on the moor since 1970. Two pairs have raised seven birds at an undisclosed location this year.

A 24-hour watch was put in place by conservationists to guard the birds against egg collectors and disturbance.

The RSPB said the repeat breeding indicated a possible recolonisation.

Kevin Rylands, RSPB farmland conservation adviser, said: "We are already planning for 2012 to ensure that any nesting attempts next year are fully protected, as well as making sure there is enough suitable habitat for them.

"The success is testament to the effort of more than 30 volunteers and seven partner organisations working together."

The team watched the sites around the clock throughout the breeding season.

Colin Marker, one of the volunteers, said "Having a successful outcome makes all the hours of watching, patrolling and being eaten alive by midges worthwhile."

The species used to be found across southern England in hay meadows, hedges, scrub and heath.

The UK population declined in the 1930s and the shrike was finally lost as a breeding species in the 1990s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-15078751