In November last year, we told you how we helped prevent 12 ponies (the Dartmoor Dozen) from being shot when their owner was evicted from his land. He had no money to feed the ponies, and they were starving. In such cases, ponies are either shot, placed in zoos or sold as meat.
But together with our partner, the HUGS Foundation, we saved the Dartmoor Dozen and relocated them to the safety of the HUGS shelter in Bodmin, England. It was a real challenge as the ponies were not only all sick, but HUGS did not have enough space to shelter them against the harsh winter conditions so typical of Bodmin Moor.
So, together, we raised enough money to build additional shelters and for the ponies’ medical treatment. Sadly, one of the ponies named Chocolate passed away from liver damage. We could not save Chocolate, but we ensured that her last days were as comfortable as possible and filled with love. Our team promised the sweet girl that we would do our best to save her friends, and we did! We are so pleased to inform our supporters that eight of the Dartmoor Dozen have been rehomed, including one of the older boys, Humbug.
Now there are just three ponies left to rehome: Gloria, Angelica and Humperdink. Because Humperdink is partially sighted and older, we are looking for an extra special home for him. The two girls need a bit more handling before they can be put up for adoption. But we are getting a lot of interest and are confident that they will all find their forever homes very soon!
We’re proud to share this news with you as fighting for animal welfare is not easy, and we savor every success. But most importantly, thank you to all our supporters whose donations helped save these ponies from certain death, giving them a second chance to live happy lives.
Read more about the Dartmoor Dozen ponies' story here.
