Ponies are being left "to rot" on moorland because owners and authorities are neglecting them, a charity has claimed.

The

South West Equine Protection group (SWEP) says a spate of deaths on

Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor has raised serious questions over the animals'

treatment, with some ponies so thin they had to be put down. Others had

starved to death, animal experts said.

Authorities designed to

protect ponies from neglect say they are aware of the problems and are

working to resolve them. But SWEP has alleged the problem is being

"covered up", claiming that some owners will take no notice of the

authorities.

SWEP pony welfare officer Faye Stacey said: "I am

watching these ponies starve to death and I am extremely frustrated that

all I can do is record it.

"The situation on the moor is

totally unacceptable and it is unclear as to why the authorities seem to

be willing to turn a blind eye when there is so much suffering and

neglect on show.

"Not all the ponies on the moor are suffering,

some of them are in very good condition. But there are clear signs of

neglect which is absolutely shocking. I have been working with wild

ponies for five years and I have never seen a situation as bad as this."

SWEP staff were first called to Bodmin Moor on January 20 after a member of the public reported finding a dead pony.

Since

then, it has been called back to Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor half a dozen

times, each time discovering a decomposing carcass or a severely ill

pony.

Although charity staff say every pony on moorland is owned,

animal welfare experts say they are often difficult to identify because

many are not micro-chipped.

This makes it hard to bring

prosecutions for neglect or provide treatment for ill ponies, because to

do so would require the animal owner's permission.

A spokesman

for Defra, which can help bring animal neglect prosecutions, said it

was investigating why ponies were being left for dead. "It is

absolutely untrue that we have not taken action on this complex issue,

caused by irresponsible ownership," he added.

"We have been actively involved for some time and are working hard to resolve it.

"The problem lies in finding who the irresponsible owners are because these ponies are extremely difficult to identify.

"They

have no marks distinguishable from a distance and, because they are

semi-feral, it is almost impossible to get close enough to read a

microchip. Legal action under animal welfare law is not possible without

identification."

A spokesman for the Animal Health and Welfare

department of Cornwall Council's Trading Standards said: "It is not

appropriate to discuss the details of an ongoing investigation however

the council is pursuing various lines of enquiry to address those

concerns."

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