A town in the southwest of England is dealing with an increase in the number of collisions between motorists and its native population of ponies in a novel way: adorning the ponies with reflective paint in an effort to make the animals more visible on and near roads in the area, according to Citylab.com.
Dartmoor’s ponies have lived in the region for at least 3,500 years, but recently their numbers have been dwindling, partly due to a decreased demand for horse meat. In an effort to preserve the numbers of the pony population, officers from Dartmoor National Park have taken inspiration from stories of Finnish reindeer having their antlers sprayed with glow-in-the-dark paint and begun marking ponies with lines of reflective paint on their sides.
There have been 74 reported incidents in 2015 of ponies injured due to collisions with motor vehicles, and the coming winter season means fewer daylight hours, icier roads and increased fog – a dangerous combination for the hapless ponies of Dartmoor.