Animal emergency hotlines
From this page you can download a credit card-size reminder of the New Forest's animal emergency hotlines to print out and keep in your wallet or the glove compartment of your car.
Download the 
emergency card (75 KB) here.
The card is a fresh bid to reduce the death toll among the Forest’s ponies, cattle, donkeys, pigs, sheep and deer. More than 100 commoners’ animals are killed or injured on the Forest’s roads each year along with a similar number of deer.
The aim of the card is to help reduce accidents overall by raising awareness of the issue and to tell people what to do if they have an accident involving an animal.
It is important that people report all animal accidents as soon as possible; some animals survive but have serious internal injuries. Why not keep the card in your wallet or car so that the numbers to call are always to hand?
Even fully-grown ponies have the road-sense of a two-year old child and regularly walk out in front of vehicles – and foals often walk across the road to their mothers.
Many wear reflective collars to make them more visible at night but watch out for those that don’t.
Remember: the animals have right of way; drive slowly day and night and give them a wide berth. Those crucial numbers are:
|
Police (24hrs) - 999 (emergency) 0845 045 4545 (non-emergency) |
| Road traffic accident involving a pony, cow, donkey, pig, sheep, dog or deer |
|
Verderers' Office 023 8028 2052 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) |
| Sick, injured or distressed pony, cow, donkey, pig or sheep |
|
Forestry Commission 023 8028 3141 (24Hrs) |
| Sick, injured or distressed pony, cow, donkey, pig, sheep or deer |
Remember
- Even if it runs off, the animal may have serious injuries
- Forest animals have no road sense and have right of way!
- Drive slowly, especially at night, and give animals a wide birth
- If you feed animals they may stay by the road and be killed.
