IT’S NOT just people who suffer from the clocks going back - more than a fifth of the animals killed in the New Forest last year died in the two months after the end of British summertime, it has been revealed.

In total, 56 animals were killed during 2017, with 17 dying in early November.

This is a reduction of 40 per cent compared to a decade ago, but, say commoners, there is still much work to be done.

Now they are joining other animal welfare organisations in an attempt to drive down the accident numbers with a new campaign.

A series of near-life-size silhouettes of forest animals will tour around built up areas during the winter, to encourage local drivers to #add3minutes to their journeys to protect them.

Sue Westwood, clerk to the Verderers, said: “Drivers should be aware that they are very likely to encounter animals on the Forest’s roads, day and night.
“Animals don’t have road sense so please help avoid accidents by driving slowly and carefully.”

Failing to report an accident with a commoner’s animal can lead to prosecution and the Verderers offer a reward of up to £5,000, payable to anyone providing information which leads to the successful prosecution of a driver responsible for a hit and run accident.

The new silhouettes are of five main New Forest animals, including ponies, donkeys and pigs, with numbers depicting how many died each year. 
Commoners will site them in the areas where commuters live because research shows that local drivers are responsible for the majority of the deaths. They will be asking them to be extra vigilant as the evenings draw in. 

Nigel Matthews, of the New Forest National Park Authority, convenes the Animal Accident Reduction Group of local organisations. He said: “The majority of commuters are responsible, slow and careful drivers across the Forest.

“But it’s easy to get complacent and we know that you are three times more likely to kill or injure an animal in the Forest after the clocks go back than before.”

The silhouettes are part of a wider campaign that includes new temporary warning signs on key roads, the police mobile speed camera van out in the Forest, campaign messaging on bin lorries, and social media activity urging drivers to slow down and #add3minutes to their journey.

New Forest drivers will also see temporary road signs on high risk roads during the winter, prompting them to take care in the darker nights.

During the campaign launch yesterday, which took place at Lymington Town Hall, commoners and the Head Agister spoke about the devastation caused when an animal is struck.

James Young explained the impact on commoners and Jonathan Gerrelli described what happens when he is called to a road accident involving an injured animal.

And the Commoners Defence Association’s Tony Hockley discussed measures to persuade commuters to alter driving behaviour in the New Forest.