Horse & Hound
Trending: Credit: RSPB
The RSPB is harnessing the power of pony poo to help improve life for birds and other wildlife at its headquarters.
Six Dartmoor ponies – Kevin, Pook, Podkin, Barramoor Tom, Black Magic and Roger – have moved to The Lodge nature reserve, Bedfordshire, to help restore the space for invertebrates and birds, “through their grazing, trampling and poo”.
An RSPB spokesman said: “Their pooing style is an essential skill set.
“Dartmoor ponies are an endangered native breed prized for their hardiness, even temperament, and ability to eat plants that other ponies and horses might balk at. This ability to nip, nibble, and stamp thick gorse and brambles brings in light and opens up whole new pathways for them to poo in. This creates space for plants to grow, and their poo provides food for insects and bugs which themselves are tasty morsels for reptiles and birds.”