What is being done to reduce the feeding of ponies?
Forestry Commission Rangers and Voluntary Rangers are regularly spending time at places where problems have occurred in the past. A friendly conversation at these sites, with both local people and visitors, is one of the best ways to explain the issues to those who most need to know. The National Park Authority mobile unit provides additional opportunities for such discussion and staff at visitor information centres also mention the importance of keeping away from the animals.
The Verderers Office, together with the Forestry Commission, monitors the frequency of incidents where people are hurt by animals. This is important as it enables the different organisations to assess the real scale of the problem, identify any trends and work together to address the issues.
Permanent signs spread across the Forest have been found not to be effective in the past, but temporary, eye-catching ‘look don’t touch’ signs and posters are put up at specific locations where people and animals might come into conflict.
Newly designed Forestry Commission leaflets are being distributed and a folding fortune-teller-like ‘flick-flack’ has been produced by the National Park Authority. The flick-flack is a great handout for schools, families and at events. Retailers can use paper bags which ask people not to feed the ponies.
Publications of the National Park Authority, Forestry Commission and New Forest District Council all regularly feature these kinds of subjects and will include the feeding of ponies in future issues.
Other activities include reviewing the design of litter bins in villages, some of which are not quite pony-proof, proactive approaches to local schools, further web-based resources and information for people who are camping.
Related documents
Flick Flack leaflet (843 KB)
Flick Flack (277 KB)
