A Dartmoor foal has been rescued from an aqueduct and reunited with her mother after she wandered into the three-foot leat and found herself unable to escape.
Walkers spotted the stricken pony on 1 April and contacted the RSPCA for assistance.
RSPCA Inspector Dale Grant attended the scene and met with the Dartmoor Commoners Council, who worked together to help remove the youngster from her predicament.
Thanks to the foal’s diminutive size, Dale and a second person were able to rescue her without specialist equipment, and she was safely reunited with her dam who was watching closeby.
“Despite the call coming in on 1 April, this was no joke!” said Dale. “It appeared the pony had taken an unfortunate slip down into the moat area, and was simply unable to climb out herself.
“It’s not uncommon for the RSPCA to be contacted about large animals in need of help or rescue, and ordinarily, we’d need the assistance of the local fire and rescue service and their specialist teams and equipment to do this.
“Thankfully she wasn’t injured, just a little nervous, so we were happy to be able to help. It was lovely to watch her trot off to her Mum.”
The charity took the opportunity to remind the public to not feed the wild ponies grazing on the National Park.
Visitors should also keep dogs under control near the ponies and other livestock.
Images by the RSPCA
