Foula Island: Where There are More Ponies Than People (PHOTOS)

Travel

What is small and fluffy with a population that outnumbers the human residents of a Scottish island? Shetland Ponies.

ByEuna Park•October 20, 2016

1/21
The Grear family ponies are loaded onto the New Advance ferry on the Island of Foula where they will be taken to Shetland to be sold at market on October 1, 2016 in Foula, Scotland. Foula is the remotest inhabited island in Great Britain with a current population of thirty people and has been owned since the turn of the 20th century by the Holbourn family. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Weather in your inbox

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

What is small and fluffy with a population that outnumbers the human residents of a Scottish island? Shetland Ponies.

These famous tiny ponies graze Foula Island, a small island part of the Shetland archipelago in Scotland. Standing at 42 inches in height, the ponies have been roaming the hills of the Shetland Islands for at least 4,000 years. Despite their size, they’re a resilient breed that were formerly used in British coal mines in the 1840s. Outside of mines, the ponies were used as workhorses on the lands.

Foula Island’s diverse array of wildlife vastly outnumbers the human population of just around 30 people. In addition to the 1,500 ponies, the island is also home to puffins, skuas, razorbills, gannets and more. The island is an important research station for zoologists at Glasgow University for the bird population. Coasts are also abundant with Grey and Common Seals and are occasionally visited by Killer Whales.

Loading comments...