Measures introduced to preserve beloved, endangered Newfoundland pony
TRINITY BAY, N.L. — Help is on the way for the beloved Newfoundland pony, once an essential part of the province’s cultural life but now a critically endangered species.
The province announced Thursday it is providing land to the Newfoundland Pony Society to ensure it can continue its work to preserve these hardy animals. The society has been granted a 50-year agricultural lease for 10 hectares of Crown land near Hopeall in eastern Newfoundland.
The Newfoundland Pony is a unique breed that is native to Newfoundland and Labrador, the result of interbreeding between breeds imported from the British Isles by early settlers. The population has plummeted from 13,000 animals in the 1960s to fewer than 400 today.
“This hardy, good-tempered, loyal and hardworking pony interbred naturally on the common lands around our communities over the centuries to create a unique and special breed,” said Jack Harris, president of the Newfoundland Pony Society.